


It's a Family Thing

by ceruleantwin



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Devil May Cry 4 (Game), Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Feels, Strained Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2018-11-19 07:04:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11308218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceruleantwin/pseuds/ceruleantwin
Summary: Nero learns that Vergil is actually his father after all, but before he can even begin to cope with that, the man seemingly returns from the dead to flip his life upside down. Now one must learn to live with the father he never asked for, and the other with the child he never knew about. (M for potential coupley-future situations and language. VxL, NxK, possible DxT)





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So, I had this idea for this story/drabble/whatever you wanna call it back in like...2010 I think it was? I promised myself I wouldn’t start any new stories though until I finished the fanfic I’d been working on and so I ended up forgetting about this. Now that I FINALLY finished that other fic, I figured I’d take the time to type this out and see where it goes. This is more of a fun side project for me, but hopefully you enjoy it as well. I haven’t read much DMC fiction in the last several years, so I hope maybe this is something a little different/refreshing for you guys.
> 
> Disclaimers: I don’t own the characters or anything, and nobody makes any money from this, blah blah the usual crap.
> 
> This story will feature some romance, but that’s not the MAIN focus of the story. Nero and Kyrie are still a couple in this story, with possible VergilxLady and DantexTrish-- we’ll see when we get to that point. The story will be told mostly from the points of view of Nero and Vergil.

It wasn’t strange to find the entire gang gathered at Dante’s shop on a Friday night, Nero thought, as he glanced around the room at his friends. Trish, seated playfully on Dante’s lap in the beat-up leather armchair to the left, though the two always claimed nothing was going on. Lady, perched on the arm of the ratty couch as she sipped at her beer and rolled her eyes at Dante’s ridiculous story. Lastly there was Kyrie, leaning against Nero’s side as they sat on the couch together and laughed at their friends. It wasn’t strange at all, yet Nero felt like there was a heavy tension in the air, something not quite right with his friends tonight.

Nero tried to shrug off his discomfort as he grabbed another slice of pizza from the pile of boxes on the coffee table; there was no use in being a downer when he was probably imagining things. It wasn’t until he was half done with his slice and Dante had _finally_ finished his over-the-top story that Nero had confirmation that he wasn’t imagining it. The clue was small, but the teen had just so happened to look up in time to catch the pointed look and subtle nod in Nero’s direction that Trish gave to Dante. He didn’t know what it meant, but obviously something was going on and it involved him.

Dante sighed heavily as he glanced Nero’s way, and Trish stood up from his lap and moved to rest against the arm of the chair instead. The serious looks on everyone’s faces did nothing for the teen’s nerves.

“Okay kid,” Dante started, looking a bit nervous, which was out of character for the older hunter. “I gotta tell ya, we had another reason why we invited you two over tonight.”

Nero swallowed heavily, his tongue felt like sandpaper in his mouth. Even the gentle squeeze of Kyrie’s hand around his didn’t help his nerves any.

“Yeah…?” Nero replied, thankful that his voice sounded a lot stronger than it felt. Whatever this was, it couldn’t be bad… could it? The somber expressions didn’t give anything away though, so Nero could only wait and hold his breath.

“Yeah. Well, I don’t really wanna beat around the bush and stuff, ‘cause well, you look like you might puke,” Dante continued, the light tease not really helping the teen with his nerves. 

“ Just tell me,” Nero demanded as his head started to swim a bit. These were the only friends he had. He had no family, only Kyrie. If they didn’t want him around anymore then Nero would just have to deal, no matter how much it hurt.

“Relax, otherwise you might pass out and that would suck for everyone,” Dante snorted. “ Anyways, like I was saying… straight to the point. So… I mean, it’s pretty obvious there’s some resemblance here, I mean, not everyone can pull off white hair as well as I can, right?” the devil joked as he motioned between himself and Nero. “And it’s not everyday that someone can do the things that we can do… and then, well, Yamato…” 

Nero stared at Dante, feeling a bit nauseous as he listened and the words sank in. If the older man was trying to say what Nero thought he was, he might actually puke.

“So yeah. Maybe we should have asked, but we were all curious,” Dante explained and motioned to himself, Lady, and Trish, “But anyways, we had a DNA test done, just in case.”

Nero’s whole world froze at that moment. All the teen could hear was the blood pounding in his ears. He didn’t notice when Kyrie touched his arm and asked if he was okay, and he certainly didn’t realize he’d jumped to his feet.

“I am NOT calling you ‘dad’, old man!” Nero shouted before he could stop himself. There was no way, no way in HELL this could be happening to him right now.

“Whoa, whoa! Calm down a sec and let me finish, kid!” Dante protested and held up his hands in defense. “ Just sit down and take a breath.” 

Nero allowed Kyrie to pull him back down beside her, but his heart was still racing and his head felt fuzzy. Was he having a heart attack? The teen didn’t want to rule it out but he wasn’t in pain so he settled for clutching the edge of the couch for dear life. 

“Okay so like I was saying, we did the DNA test… and it came back positive for a match. But WAIT!” Dante added quickly as Nero made to scream at him again. “We also did a bunch of digging, trying to find out where you came from, and it turns out there’s no chance in hell I was involved in making you, like, at all.”

Nero stared at Dante for a while as he tried to understand. He glanced around the room for help, but no one else spoke up and he was left even more confused.

“But… what? I mean, you said it was a match… so I don’t… I don’t understand,” the teen finally managed to splutter out.

Dante nodded and ran a hand through his own hair with a sigh.

“Yeah, it was a match. To my brother. We’re identical twins, and without anyone else to test but you and me, it’s gonna say I’m a match every time,” the elder devil explained. “It also explains you using his sword like that. It doesn’t respond to just anyone, you know.” 

Nero nodded numbly and ran his hands over his face. He had to say, it explained a lot, and if he was honest with himself it wasn’t really much of a surprise. The teen supposed he could deal with “Uncle Dante” far better than “Dad” when it came to the elder man-- but he’d preferably just stick to calling him “old man”. Kyrie’s soft squeeze on his thigh was a reassurance amidst the insanity he just heard, and Nero gave her a small, grateful smile in response. This wasn’t exactly how he’d planned to spend his Friday night.

“So, yeah… any questions? I can’t tell you a whole lot, honestly. Verge and I weren’t really that close, and the last time I saw him he was trying to kick my ass. But if you ever decide you wanna know something, you can always ask,” Dante offered.

Nero shook his head slowly and exhaled, the weight of the news resting heavily on him. 

“I can’t think of anything at the moment. I guess I’m still in shock or something.”

Dante nodded and took a sip of his beer that’d been resting on the small table. “No rush, kid. And this doesn’t have to make things weird or anything. We all just thought you deserved to know if you had some family out there still. Vergil was a weird guy, but I think maybe he’d at least feel a little better knowing his sword is in the family still. Then again, with his ego, who knows,” he snorted lightly. “But hey, no need to look all depressed and shit, we should be celebrating.”

Nero snorted softly and sipped at his own drink. “I don’t think anyone would celebrate being related to you,” he shot back, though his tone was light. 

That was all it took for the teen to earn a pillow in his face, and before he knew it he was wrestling with Dante on the floor while the girls laughed at them. Maybe Dante was right, nothing really had to change, and it was sort of uplifting to realize he had a family, even if most of them were dead. At least now he **knew**.

It was a lot later in the night when Nero finally felt up to asking about Vergil. Maybe it was the alcohol in his system, he wasn’t sure, all the teen knew was that he suddenly had a million and one questions about the man he’d only heard about in the briefest of sentences. The storm outside had him feeling a bit restless though and he needed to do _something_.

A glance around the room as he returned from the bathroom told Nero that Kyrie and Trish were asleep on the couch, the younger girl using the older woman for a pillow, and Dante and Lady were arguing quietly in the corner of the room about the payment of an upcoming job. He figured now was as good a time as any and trudged over to talk to them. 

“Hey… so, I dunno what to start with,” Nero explained awkwardly as he approached the pair. Lady seemed to sense what it was the teen wanted to discuss and excused herself over to the armchair to play on her phone. 

Dante nodded and leaned against the edge of his desk as he waited. “You’ve got the rest of your life to ask questions, so just start with whatever pops in your head first,” he suggested.

“Okay… can you tell me what he was like? You told me before that one time the basics about what happened to him… but what kind of person was he?” Nero asked quietly. Truth be told, he had a lot of questions about what exactly had gone down when Vergil died or disappeared or whatever had happened to him, he wasn’t even sure of _that_ much, but he didn’t want to depress the other man tonight so he tried for a safer topic instead. 

“Uh… well, he was kind of an ass the last time we actually spoke,” Dante snorted. “A real ego-maniac. Frosty bastard too. But I guess he didn’t exactly have it easy when we were separated as kids, so I don’t entirely blame the guy,” the elder man explained. “When we were kids he was a real bookworm, too smart for his own good, and he had no problem letting you know it… but I guess he wasn’t as bad,” Dante shrugged.

Nero nodded slowly, taking it in. It was hard to imagine a version of Dante that behaved that way, but maybe the old cliche’ about twins being opposites had some truth to it. 

“I guess maybe you get your talent from him too,” Dante continued. “He was way more of an early bloomer than I was. He was born first, got all his powers and abilities first. The guy had a thing for winning,” he snorted lightly. “He was never a fan of guns though, he liked swords better,” Dante added as an afterthought. 

Nero took it all in, the information swirling in his mind and leaving him with even more questions. If Dante was uncomfortable then he didn’t voice it, for which the teen was thankful. He wanted to be a little bit selfish right now, he felt he deserved it after everything. 

A loud noise that sounded like thunder exploded outside before Nero could ask another question, and the shop rattled as if hit by a small earthquake. Kyrie gave a startled yelp as she and Trish snapped awake, and all eyes in the shop darted around to try and make sense of the sudden excitement. A fairly audible thud outside followed the crackle of thunder by only a few seconds and Dante motioned for Lady to follow him out. 

“The rest of you stay here,” Dante barked as the pair grabbed their guns and exited the shop to investigate.

Nero moved over to stand by the couch with Kyrie and Trish, Blue Rose in arm’s reach just in case. Trish could handle herself just fine, but Kyrie wasn’t armed and she wasn’t the fighting type, so he would protect her if anything happened.

“What do you think it was?” Kyrie asked softly as she gripped Nero’s hand tightly.

“No idea… but a demon would have to be insane to attack with all of us here. It was probably just lightning or something,” Nero reassured her even though he wasn’t too sure of that himself.

Nero was considering going out to check on the pair when he heard Lady shouting for Trish to come outside. He snatched up Blue Rose just in case and moved his body protectively in front of his girlfriend as the blonde woman ran outside to join the others. 

Lady sounded freaked out, and she _never_ panicked.

A few moments later amidst a lot of shuffling Dante backed in through the front door, clearly holding something with both arms as he maneuvered inside. Lady and Trish followed up as they held up the opposite end, and it wasn’t until all three were inside that Nero realized they were holding a _body_.

“What the hell?!” the teen gasped as they carried the unmoving form inside and headed for the stairs.

“Stay down here!” Dante snapped at the two teens as they headed up the steps as quickly as they dared.

It wasn’t until they were almost to the top that Nero got a better look at the person in their arms. It looked to be a man in tattered and dirty rags. The guy was soaking wet and looked muddy and gross, but one thing stood out clearly in the dim room amongst everything else: his hair was definitely white.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _A/N: I got a lot of positive feedback on the first chapter, so thanks a lot you guys! It really got me pumped to keep going 8] Anyways, sorry if there’s any typos or anything, it’s just me proof-reading it and after a while I tend to see what I want to see and not what’s actually there x_x But here we go with the next chapter… I wonder WHO it could be that was found outside???? Awkward moments are on the horizon, lol. Also, side note, if you leave a review and I don’t respond, blame the site for not giving me all of my notification emails :/_
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> _ALSO I APOLOGIZE. This story is up to 5 chapters and I JUST realized I apparently only uploaded the FIRST chapter here???? u__U I'll be uploading the rest as soon as I can x____x;;_
> 
>  
> 
> _Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters, just the plot. No one profits, blah blah the usual crap. The drinking age is lower than 21 where they live so don’t hassle me about that xP Romance isn’t the major focus of this story but there will be some sprinkled in here or there, so consider yourself warned 8]_

Nero wasn’t sure what to do with himself as he waited downstairs. The three elder hunters had been up in Dante’s room for at least half an hour now. He couldn’t really tell what was going on up there, he only caught the occasional snippet of whispered conversation and heard doors opening and closing followed by rushed footsteps. At some point Kyrie had dragged him down to sit with her on the couch, probably in an attempt to comfort him, but Nero was still highly on edge.

It was hard to miss the white mess of hair on the unconscious man’s head as he’d been carried inside. It was dirty, sure, but the color still managed to shine through-- probably because of the rain outside. Nero might have brushed it off as an elderly man, or just random happenstance of someone having that color hair, but the way Lady had shouted for Trish to help them, and the disturbed look on Dante’s face told the teen exactly who was upstairs right now.

The situation didn’t make any sense to Nero. He was fairly certain Dante had told him that the man was dead… or something like that. Definitely no chance of the elder twin returning from the demon world, so how was he here? As ridiculous as Dante acted sometimes, he still would never fall for an imposter or a trick of the man’s identity, so that was ruled out. But then how was this happening? Nero knew he wasn’t _that_ drunk, and he wasn’t asleep.

The teen was startled out of his thoughts as Lady and Trish came back downstairs. Both ladies looked rather stressed out and Nero couldn’t blame them, he was about to chew a hole in his own lip as it was.

“Okay so, we’ve all agreed, you two should stay here tonight,” Trish announced matter-of-factly. “Lady’s got first watch down here, Dante’s going to stay up there for a while, and I’m going to do a little recon,” she added with a flick of her long blonde hair. 

“But wait a minute,” Nero protested as he stood up to argue. “I wanna know what’s going on!” 

Lady rolled her eyes at the teen and shooed him to the side. “Shut up and help me set the couch bed up so your girlfriend can get some sleep. I’ll tell you all about it while we work,” she chided and motioned for Kyrie to stand so they could get the bed ready.

Nero frowned but he knew he didn’t have much choice, so he started moving cushions with Lady as Trish headed out of the shop. He knew he was being a bit unfair, everyone was stressed and he doubted anyone had any real information, but the teen also felt like he had just as much right to know as anyone else, probably _more_ than them even.

“So… it definitely seems to be him. Vergil,” Lady explained with a sigh as they pulled out the bed portion from inside the couch. “Dante’s a hundred percent on that. The guy looks like he’s been through Hell… but hey, if it’s Vergil then that makes sense,” she added with a shrug. “And don’t go asking me how he got here because he’s still not awake and we have no idea,” the huntress threw in as she caught the perturbed look on Nero’s face. “He’s here, somehow. Now we just have to hope time has lessened old wounds.”

“What do you mean… you think he’s going to attack us if he wakes up?” Nero asked, suddenly feeling a bit worried. Sure, they guy looked like shit from what he saw, and Nero _did_ still have his sword… but he’d also heard that Vergil was a pretty tough customer when it came down to it. Hell, the teen had just found out he had a father… he didn’t want to have to kill the man before they’d even officially _met_.

Lady shrugged as she wandered off to go collect some sheets for them. “It’s always a possibility,” she added over her shoulder.

There was no use in freaking out over it, at least that’s what Nero wanted to believe, so he settled in with Kyrie after the bed was fully set up and tried to sleep. It didn’t come easy, especially with Lady off in the corner typing away on her phone, or when she would creep upstairs to check on Dante, or when the three would switch shifts of watching Vergil, the shop, and the surrounding area, but eventually Nero felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. 

Nero was surprised to find it was daylight when he woke, and that Kyrie had apparently gotten up well before him. The only other person in the room was Dante, who looked _terrible_ as he sat perched on the bottom of the stairs.

“Uh… you okay?” Nero asked as he rubbed his eyes and cracked his neck. “You look like shit, no offense.” 

Dante waved him off as he stood and cracked his own neck in response. “Just peachy, kid.” 

Nero nodded slowly and climbed out of the bed. “Sure… so, um, I guess that was an exciting night, huh?” he mumbled awkwardly. The tension in the air was thick, and to the teen Dante looked like he was on autopilot.

“Yeah, you could say that. It’s not every night you’re supposedly dead brother just pops on in for a visit from the demon realm,” the elder hunter snorted, finally sounding a bit more alive.

“Yeah, and here I was thinking I could skip buying a Father’s Day card,” Nero joked awkwardly. He didn’t even think about how weird that was until after he’d said it.

Dante’s gaze softened slightly as he exhaled and shook his head. “Shit, sorry kid… I know this has gotta be some kind of fucked up for you. You barely got to know about the...situation, and then this happened. How’re you holding up?”

Nero shrugged a bit uncomfortably and ran his hand through his hair. “I mean, I guess I’m okay. I was pretty freaked out, but it feels a lot better to know I’m not alone in all this. Like, I’ve got Kyrie and I’ve got all you guys, so it… it helps,” he admitted. “But um, well, Lady said… she said he might attack us or something when he wakes up. Do you think that’s true?” he asked tentatively.

Dante shrugged and rubbed at the stubble on his chin in thought. “I mean I guess it’s a possibility, but honestly? I’m hoping that he came here on his own because he knew it was safe. If he wakes up and tells me that, I think it’ll be okay. If he goes off the deep end then we’ll do whatever we gotta do to keep everyone safe.” 

Nero nodded slowly and tried not to grimace at the dark expression that flitted across Dante’s features. A showdown like that wasn’t something that anyone wished for. The teen couldn’t say he felt particularly protective of Vergil. It wasn’t like he’d even known they were related until a few hours ago, and the man had never been a part of his life, but at the same time, Nero didn’t want to have to deal with the aftermath if Dante ended up needing to put his own twin down. The awkward hugs and possible crying were way too much for him to think about.

Luckily for Nero the tension was broken by the return of Trish and Kyrie, who’d apparently been shopping from the grocery bags in their hands. Nero gave his girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek to say good morning and had his hair ruffled by Trish as they passed.

“It’s too gloomy and stuffy in here. Go take your girlfriend out for some fun,” Trish chided lightly as they put the food away. “We can handle things here, we’ll call if something changes,” she added as she moved over and tossed the teen’s shoes at him. “Get lost.” 

Nero huffed quietly but decided it was easier to just comply. Plus, the atmosphere in the shop was a little oppressive and he was worried he might freak out if he didn’t get some air soon. He quickly pulled on his boots and grabbed Blue Rose, opting to leave his sword since he could conceal the gun easier and draw less attention, and then headed out with Kyrie to find something fun for the two of them to do for the day. Vergil wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so they might as well distract themselves a while.

The teens stayed out most of the day until the evening, only returning to the shop when it was time for dinner. As expected, there had been no change, and Dante had vanished upstairs after a quick meal to resume his watch. Seeing as there was nothing else for them to do, and since no one would let Nero or Kyrie volunteer for any of the watches, the pair just settled in to watch a movie and then sleep.

The next two days passed by in much the same fashion, though Trish actually let Nero take her turn surveying the area outside so she could sneak off for a “girls day” with Kyrie. The teen wasn’t even annoyed since he finally felt like he was contributing, and he knew Kyrie always enjoyed the small moments she got to spend just doing normal girly things that she wasn’t really privy to back home.

Trish at least had the decency to return with Kyrie around the time that she was supposed to be switching with Lady, and although the other huntress wasn’t fooled for a second she just rolled her eyes and got ready to head out as everyone piled back into the shop. Kyrie looked a little guilty but Lady just pinched her upper arm and told her not to tell Dante and left it at that as she left.

Much later in the evening Trish managed to convince Dante to take a break and come watch a movie with them downstairs instead of sitting up there in that stuffy bedroom. Luckily for them, Lady appeared a short while later with pizza for the group and everyone finally took the chance to relax together while they ate and watched the movie. It felt like it had been weeks since Nero had come over that Friday night, but it had only been a few days. Everyone looked so much worse for the wear, a break was what they needed.

As the movie ended Nero got up to change the disc for another, and a horrendous scream sounded from the upstairs portion of the shop. All heads whipped in that direction, and before anyone could breathe Dante launched himself toward the stairs. Trish tore off after him, and Lady followed suit after a hasty order to the teens to stay put. The sound had been awful, an almost inhuman wail of pain. Nero could feel his hairs standing on end from the screech.

“Nero… do you think... “ Kyrie murmured, her words dying as another outcry of pain was heard amidst the chaos of the three hunters scrambling around upstairs.

“I dunno Kyrie. I don’t know what’s going on… but I think he’s awake.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alrighty, here we go with another chapter (which I definitely forgot to upload, haha). Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate the encouragement! As I mentioned before, this story will most likely be told from both Nero and Vergil’s points of view, so don’t be surprised by that (maybe even some other characters’ points of view will be added) xD Might even sneak some other characters in, who knows. This chapter is a little short I think but I didn’t want to drag things out too much, you know?
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters, blah blah the usual crap.

Chapter 3

The first thing Vergil felt when he opened his eyes was _pain_. It was like he was looking directly into the sun, and it caused the devil to cry out in both surprise and extreme discomfort. He quickly clamped his eyelids closed, but the light had already done its damage. 

The pain was still searing in his head as he covered his face with his hands to help block out the light, wherever it was coming from. Vergil swiped an arm around as he cried out again, and he vaguely registered the sound of glass shattering besides him as his hand collided with various objects in his quest to eliminate whatever was blinding him. The sound of footsteps caught his attention and before he knew it someone was hovering over him and grasping him by the arms to try and stop his wild flailing. 

“Calm down, Verge!” a man’s voice called out to him from the person who was currently trying to hold him down. No one who was still alive ever called him that except for one person.

“Dante!” he gasped out, cringing as the light still managed to burn him even through his closed eyelids. “It hurts! Turn it off!” the elder twin begged desperately. 

“What hurts?” Dante demanded as he held him tightly in his grip. “What’s _wrong_?”

Vergil hissed in pain and frustration as he kicked at his twin to try and get loose. 

“The light! It’s burning!” the elder devil snarled. “Turn it off!”

“The light-- shit! Turn the damned lights off!” Dante snapped at someone else. 

Vergil could feel his brother trying to wrestle him back down onto the bed but he still tried to kick him off, not liking the vulnerable position, even if the man was helping. Thankfully the light was turned off almost immediately by one of the other mystery people in the room--there were two, he could sense them. The devil let out a small sigh of relief as the scorching of his eyes ceased, and he relaxed on the mattress after giving a small shove to the man above him.

The room was silent for a while, probably only a minute or so but the awkwardness made it feel like longer to the elder twin. Vergil had a feeling they were all probably wondering what he was doing there, and he had to admit he was a bit curious himself. If their situations had been reversed he would have probably left his brother wherever he’d found him and went about his business. 

The question of how _Dante_ of all people had found him was also on the elder devil’s mind; he couldn’t remember much of what had happened just prior to him awakening here. Unfortunately for him, Vergil _could_ remember most things before today just fine, but it seemed like the events immediately leading to him ending up in Dante’s care were a bit too fuzzy to make sense of at the moment. He remembered finding something that led him to believe he could finally escape the demon realm, so the half-devil could only assume he’d followed up on whatever plan he’d formulated and it had worked to his advantage. Whether or not finding his brother was part of the grand plan, Vergil honestly couldn’t say, but it seemed to end up just fine for him either way.

“Where… where am I?” Vergil questioned after another minute or so of silence. He assumed he must be at Dante’s home, the place certainly _reeked_ of a familiar scent, and anywhere else would be far too much of a stretch. The elder twin kept his eyes firmly shut, unwilling to open them for fear of being burned again.

“Holy shit, Verge… You’re at my shop,” Dante breathed out, sounding far more winded than Vergil had expected-- maybe his brother was still in shock. “We found you outside in the street. I can’t believe it… for real, what the _hell_ , Vergil?!” the younger twin snapped, and Vergil felt the thump of a fist against his shoulder.

“Don’t ask me, I don’t remember how I got here,” Vergil snorted back and swatted at where he thought his brother’s arm was. “I thought you would have some answers… clearly not.”

Vergil heard a low growl and felt a light smack against the side of his head.

“Watch it, asshole, or I’ll throw you back out in the street,” Dante threatened. Vergil couldn’t see his face but he assumed his brother had that same annoying expression he always had when they argued. 

“I’m sure it would be twice as clean as wherever you’re holding me,” the elder twin shot back with a snort. “This place reeks of mud and pizza, don’t you ever clean?”

A low scoff sounded just before a pillow smacked Vergil squarely in the face.

“Well, I’m glad to see you haven’t lost that smart ass mouth of yours since the last time I saw you. I take it that means you’re feeling just fine then. Maybe I ought to kick you out,” Dante threatened.

“If you want to kick a blind man out on the street then fine, I’m sure no one would be surprised by your heathen-like behavior,” Vergil replied cooly. It wasn’t like he was asking for Dante’s charity or anything anyways.

“Hey, give us a couple minutes,” Dante spoke, his tone a little more subdued. It took Vergil a second, but he realized his twin was addressing the other two occupants of the room when two pairs of footsteps moved away and the sound of a door closing followed.

“Verge… what the fuck happened? Where have you _been_?” the younger twin murmured as he leaned in closer. “Is it _really_ you?”

Vergil scowled slightly and gave a heavy sigh. Speaking about his time in that hellish place wasn’t exactly high on his list of priorities. Dante wasn’t the type to give up without some kind of information though, so the elder of the pair shrugged and slung his arm over his face.

“It’s me, in the flesh,” Vergil snorted lightly. “What do you **think** happened? I messed up,” he shrugged. “I didn’t die when I was under Mundus’ control. I don’t really recall all the details, it’s pretty fuzzy, but I’ve been wandering around down there a long time.”

Vergil heard his brother exhale, the sound ragged like he’d been holding his breath a little too long. He wasn’t particularly enjoying this little ‘heartfelt moment’ but maybe it was the least he could do.

“You don’t remember how you got here?” Dante asked, and Vergil could practically hear the frown on his face. This was really uncomfortable.

“Not at all. I must have figured something out though, at least… I feel like I did. I don’t recall.”

Dante didn’t reply for a while, but when he did he nudged at Vergil’s arm before speaking. “What about your eyes? Did something happen?” 

Vergil snorted and swatted his brother’s arm away again. “It’s not exactly the Bahamas down there, you know. I’ve been in the dark a long time. I’m sure it’ll pass eventually.”

His brother gave a soft snort and Vergil felt his hair being ruffled, which earned Dante a low growl in response. He always hated when his brother messed with his hair.

“I bet you have killer night vision then. You always did remind me of a cat,” Dante teased and moved away from the bed. “You should probably keep resting… I’m gonna grab you some water, just… just try and relax. You’re safe here,” the younger twin added softly before he left the room.

Vergil sighed loudly and tried to relax in the bed. He felt utterly drained, and all that conversation hadn’t helped. He just wanted to sleep for a day, or maybe a week straight. A few minutes later the door opened again and Vergil was being helped up and passed a glass of water, which he eagerly drained. As soon as the glass was set aside the devil laid back down and passed out a few seconds after his head hit the pillow.

Vergil woke up a while later, though whether it was hours or days, he wasn’t sure. The devil felt a bit less sore and beaten up, though he still felt rather drained and lethargic. It was his luck that it appeared to be night time when his eyelids fluttered open, so he wasn’t blinded or in pain. Dante wasn’t wrong about the cat comment, Vergil felt like he could see perfectly fine even though the room was almost completely dark, though he felt a bit concerned for how he would fare in better lit conditions. Living his days in torture didn’t seem all that appealing.

Vergil’s concerns about his newfound night vision skills were interrupted by the door opening. His gaze flickered over at the sound, though he immediately grunted in pain and scrunched his eyes shut when the light from the hall spilled into the room.

“...Sorry, I didn’t realize you were awake,” a female voice called out as the door was shut quickly.

Vergil cracked one eye open to observe the intruder and his eyebrows raised in response. 

“It’s you... ,” he murmured as he glanced over Lady’s form. She looked a bit older, though not in a bad way, but it was definitely the human huntress. 

“Surprise,” she replied in a bored tone. “I’ll go get Dante, stay there,” she huffed and turned to leave.

“Wait!” Vergil called out, but the door was opened and she was gone before he could get anything else out. The encounter was… weird, to say the least, and the devil didn’t know why he felt so irritated by it. She didn’t have to run away, it wasn’t like he was going to attack her or anything. Vergil huffed loudly and covered his face with the pillow. He didn’t even know why he should care, so he decided to push it from his mind and wait for his brother instead. He was starving, he had to use the bathroom, and while he somehow felt a little cleaner than he did before, he still wanted a shower.

Vergil wasn’t sure what to expect now that he was back in the human realm, but he wasn’t going to get anywhere by staying in this damned bed. It was time to get up and get moving.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: hey guys! There will be some times where the focus of the chapter switches between characters, just a heads up! I didn’t wanna bs a whole chapter just to get to the next person’s POV, lol. Just wanted to warn you guys since I normally avoid that sort of thing when I’m writing, lol. There will also be a moment of flashback, which should be indicated by the writing being italicized. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

The last day had been beyond stressful for Nero. Vergil had awoken the night before, but from what he’d been told the eldest devil had passed back out after a short conversation with Dante. Speaking of which, Dante hadn’t really divulged much information from their discussion, only that Vergil didn’t really remember anything and was having trouble seeing at the moment. The teen tried not to be too worried about the situation, after all, he didn’t even know the man and there wasn’t much he could do anyways, but the whole thing still wore on him. 

It was hard for Nero to tell if he felt it was lucky or unlucky that Vergil had remained unconscious for the entirety of the next day; on the one hand it was a relief not to have to face him just yet, and on the other it was grating on his last nerve playing the waiting game. The young hunter had never even considered he might have some biological family left alive before, and he wasn’t quite sure how to react to it now. Was he excited? Nero couldn’t say for sure, but he was definitely on edge. Either way he looked at things, he would have to deal with the situation much sooner rather than later, especially when he heard from Lady that evening that Vergil was awake again.

Dante was still pretty adamant that Nero not meet Vergil quite yet, not wanting to spring the situation on the other man while he was still recovering. Nero found himself playing the waiting game again for any kind of news about what was going on upstairs since Dante had hurried up there to check on the man. Just when the teen was thinking about jumping up from the couch and storming up there, Dante made his way down the stairs and joined everyone else in the main area of the shop.

“Well, he’s awake again,” Dante announced, as if that wasn’t obvious. “Nice and cranky too. You’d almost never know the guy was knocked out in the streets just a few days ago,” he added with a snort.

“That’s wonderful,” Kyrie spoke up, grasping Nero’s hand tightly to reassure him. “Do you need any help? I’m used to dealing with the sick and injured from back home… even the difficult ones,” the girl offered quietly.

Nero gave a small snort but he was also proud of her for offering. It wasn’t exactly safe in his mind for anyone to be up there around the guy, especially if he was in a bad mood, and Kyrie wasn’t a fighter like the rest of them. If he snapped on her then she wouldn’t be able to do much against a demon, half-breed or not.

“Heh, don’t worry about it. He’ll heal up in no time,” Dante replied and waved her off. “Thanks for offering though. And trust me, you’ve got enough to deal with handling that brat, you don’t need any other headaches,” the devil added with a smirk in Nero’s direction.

Nero threw an empty soda can at Dante’s head and huffed loudly. “Funny. But seriously… what’s the story? Anything new?” he asked, feeling a bit embarrassed by his suddenly needy tone. He couldn’t stop himself from being curious, he just needed to know.

“Eh, not really… he wasn’t much in the mood for talking. But he’s pretty hungry, obviously, so I’m gonna take him some food up and check on him,” Dante shrugged. “You guys just chill down here. I meant what I said before, I think it best if we let him recover a little more before you guys meet. Don’t want him having a heart attack or something,” the devil added and then disappeared into the kitchen to round up some food for his twin.

Nero huffed loudly again, not bothering to hide his annoyance as his crossed his arms and sank back into the couch. He was sick of waiting. He wanted to just get this whole meet-and-greet over with so he could shake off this anxious feeling that was driving him nuts. There wasn’t much to be done about the situation though, so Nero settled in with Kyrie to watch a movie and then go to sleep, anything to to make the time pass by quicker.   
-

 

Vergil sighed loudly to himself as he glanced around the room. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but the room was in total darkness and the shop was quiet. He could still see perfectly fine though, a benefit, or curse, of his most recent few months in the demon realm. The silence gave him the impression that it must be fairly late, the sounds in the shop had died out what felt like a couple of hours ago, long after his brother had bid him goodnight. 

The devil looked around the room again, his gaze falling on the empty plate on the nightstand. He couldn’t help but to think back on their discussion earlier in the night after Lady had run off to alert the man that he was awake.

_“Yo, Verge, glad to see you’re still with us,” Dante teased as he entered the bedroom, drawing a loud snort from Vergil.  
“Trying to get rid of me?” he asked and rolled his eyes. “You’ll have to wish a bit harder for that one.”_

_Dante shook his head and walked over to the side of the bed, eyeing Vergil up and down and making him uncomfortable. “Nah, that would make all of my hard work saving your ass go to waste,” he replied with a wink. “But hey, you look a lot less like death. Your eyes still bothering you?” he asked, actually looking a bit concerned._

_Vergil hummed quietly and shrugged his shoulders. “Somewhat. I’ll just have to be careful in the meantime, I suppose,” he replied. “While I’m sure that my health issues are on your mind, I’m honestly quite famished and so unless you want to be the cause of my demise, I’d appreciate something to eat,” the elder twin added tersely. He was beyond starving; he couldn’t recall the last time he’d eaten anything._

_“Heh, you got it bro, don’t say I never did anything for ya,” Dante shot back and headed out to get some food._

_Vergil sighed heavily and sank back into the pillows. He still felt a bit groggy in his head, bits and pieces of his memory were missing or fuzzy, but maybe some food would help him. Luckily he didn’t have to wait too long for his brother to return… with pizza of all things._

_The elder devil eyed the plate of pizza that he was handed with disdain. Of course, he should have expected this… but unfortunately for him, beggars couldn’t be choosers, so with a slight wrinkle of his nose, Vergil snatched up the first piece and shoveled it into his mouth. He wasn’t even sure when he’d finished the first piece and started on the second, but before he knew it all three pieces on the plate were gone and Dante was handing him the can of soda he’d brought along as well. The devil gulped it down until the can was empty and he set it and the plate aside with a sigh. He felt a bit sick from eating so fast, but he did feel a **lot** better overall as well._

_Vergil glanced up as he leaned back into the pillows to find his brother smirking at him. He already knew what the idiot was going to say and he wasn’t about to deal with it._

_“Shut up. You’d be hungry too if you hadn’t eaten in as long as I have,” he snapped and threw the empty can at his brother. “Don’t you go blabbing about it either.”_

_Dante caught the can and raised his hands in a placating manner. “Don’t worry bro, your pizza-loving secret is safe with me,” he teased. “No need to be ashamed, you know. Pizza is the best.”_

_Vergil rolled his eyes and shook his head at his twin’s antics; the man never grew up, it seemed._

The elder devil sighed heavily as his mind drifted back to the present. Dante had stayed and chatted with him a little longer, but the man was obviously drained so Vergil shooed him away to go rest and that was the last he’d seen of anyone else so far tonight. Normally he enjoyed his solitude, but Vergil was starting to feel a little stir crazy being stuck in this bed. The devil also couldn’t help but feel his stomach growling again-- it seemed his appetite had awoken in full force now that he’d had the chance to eat something. Vergil knew he should stay in bed, he was weak and injured, but who knew when someone would come check on him again?

It didn’t take the devil long to make up his mind, and with a soft grunt and a whole lot of effort he managed to swing his legs from under the covers and over the edge of the bed. Luckily he’d been helped up to the bathroom earlier so he’d had the chance to stretch his limbs a little and get his blood moving, otherwise Vergil wasn’t sure he’d have been able to do this on his own. Taking a deep breath, the devil managed to hoist himself up by using the nightstand to support himself. It took a few minutes for him to feel steady on his feet, but after a couple of test steps the half-breed decided he could make his way out of the room well enough.

Vergil managed to creep out of the bedroom quietly enough, and after listening for any sounds of anyone being awake and finding none, he made his way to the top of the stairs. The height seemed so much worse when he knew that he would struggle on the way down, but the devil pushed ahead and started slinking down the steps one at a time. It felt like it took him thirty minutes to reach the bottom, but eventually he found himself on the ground level of the shop.

The devil glanced around in the darkness, picking out a few sleeping forms scattered about the room. He knew Dante had a spare bedroom, which was probably where Lady and _that woman_ were at since they weren’t in the room but he could still sense them, but there were still three other figures down here. One of the sleeping bodies was obviously Dante, sprawled out in the leather recliner with his mouth hanging open. The other two were on the fold out bed of the couch, though he couldn’t see them very well. There was something strange about them, a weird, familiar tugging that made him want to go over and investigate it. Vergil was starving though, and he didn’t have the energy to deal with someone freaking out and attacking him if they found the half-demon looming over them while they slept, so he ignored the feeling in favor of making his way toward where he assumed the kitchen was.

Luckily for Vergil, he had guessed right and found himself in the kitchen. A quick glance through the fridge only brought up more pizza and some questionable looking lunch meat, so he opted for the pizza. The devil dug around in the cabinets as quietly as he could and found a plate so he could go about heating up his food. He had just turned around to take the food to the microwave when the light overhead turned on and it felt like he was staring directly into the sun.

“Aargh!” Vergil hissed and dropped the plate, his hands instantly shooting to cover his eyes. A female voice let out a shriek, and on instinct he tried to look again to see who it was. The second he opened his eyes the light seared into them again and Vergil snarled, throwing his arm over them as he tried to block it out. There was more commotion from the front room and he heard two sets of loud footsteps hurrying toward them. 

“Shit, Vergil!” Dante called out and jumped over, snapping the light off, much to the elder twin’s relief. 

His eyes were still burning and he was seeing spots, but Vergil was able to look up to see well enough that Dante was pulling a younger woman back from the doorway. The second pair of footsteps exploded into the room in the form of a young man with familiarly colored white hair who looked more than a little freaked out and annoyed at the same time. Vergil rubbed at his eyes with a groan as he heard the three speaking to each other, something about an ‘accident’ and the boy asking the girl if she was alright. It took him a second to realize that his brother had made his way over to help him to his feet and check on him.

“Shit, Verge… the hell’re you doing down here? You scared the shit out of us,” Dante murmured as he hoisted Vergil to his feet.

Vergil grunted and swatted at him, not liking being treated like an invalid, especially in front of other people.

“I was hungry. I didn’t want to sit upstairs and starve all night while you drooled in your sleep,” he muttered and rubbed at his eyes again. “Besides, everything was fine until the light was turned on.” 

Dante snorted and picked up the plate and ruined pizza. “Yeah, well, I’ll get you a bell or something instead. You look like a damned ghoul wandering around here, you probably scarred Kyrie for life,” he teased. 

Vergil snorted and was about to protest when he sensed it. The devil felt like someone had punched him in the chest, the sensation hit him so hard. 

Yamato.

His sword, it had to be… he could feel it. Vergil had wanted to ask Dante about it so many times, but he hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up that his beloved sword would ever make its way back to him, but he could feel it now. Vergil glanced around in the darkened kitchen, his enhanced night vision showing him every detail except for the location of his sword. The dim light from a streetlamp outside the only source of illumination for everyone else to see the slightly crazed look on his face and tense nature of his body. Vergil felt a bit crazy, and he was sure he _looked_ it, but he didn’t care.

“Where is it?” he demanded, his gaze snapping to Dante for a moment before he went back to looking around the room wildly. The feeling was rolling in waves from the direction of the doorway, but he hadn’t felt it earlier when he’d passed by, oddly enough. It took a few moments, but as the younger boy and girl stared at him from the entrance to the kitchen Vergil was certain of one thing-- one of them had his sword. 

“Where’s what? Just take a deep breath Vergil you’re acting a little nuts…” Dante urged him. 

“My sword! Where is my sword?!” Vergil snarled and shoved Dante away as he turned back to the pair of teens. The girl had been carefully moved behind the boy, and he had a fierce sort of expression on his face. Not her who had it then, but him. 

Vergil growled quietly, feeling an anger and desperation welling up inside of him that he hadn’t felt for a long time. He’d lost everything, his power, his _life_ even, but he’d be damned if he was going to give up the one thing he cherished above all else to some little brat.

“You,” the devil hissed and pointed an accusing finger at the boy. “Give it to me, I know you have it!” he demanded and made to come at him. Unfortunately Dante seemed to anticipate his move and tackled him before he could get very far.

“Chill the hell out, Verge!” Dante snarled at him as they wrestled on the ground. “You’re being a total psycho!”

Vergil didn’t care what he had to say though, and bit down on his brother’s hand hard enough to draw blood. The distraction was just enough for the elder twin to use his malnourished state to his advantage and slip from Dante’s grip and jump to his feet. He rounded on the pair of teens again and snarled loudly once more.

“Give me Yamato!”

And then he lunged.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I don’t know if anyone caught the little similarities between father and son in the last chapters, lol -- no one's mentioned them yet to me though. I’ll sneak some more things in upcoming chapters and see if anyone catches it ;} Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! This chapter has a lot of conversation in it, but it’s necessary this time =w=;; 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters, and all the usual garbage.

Chapter 5

A loud, unexpected noise exploded through the kitchen as Nero watched his supposed father lunge for him. It took a few seconds to realize it was a gunshot, the realization coming when the force of the hit and the sheer surprise of it caused the elder devil to be blown backwards. Vergil landed hard on his back, the wind clearly being knocked out of him if the uncomfortable wheezing sound he was making now was anything to go by. Dante didn’t hesitate to pounce on his brother and hold him down while barking over his shoulder for Nero to take Kyrie away.

Lady brushed past the pair of teenagers, echoing Dante’s orders as she gave Nero’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. From what the youngest hunter could see, it looked like Vergil had only been hit in the shoulder area, nothing super vital. Nero gave her a silent nod in agreement and thanks, and quietly pulled Kyrie with him back to the living room and out the front door. He didn’t stop until they were both seated on the front steps to the shop, well away from the commotion inside.

“Well… that went great,” Nero snorted loudly and shook his head. “First time the guy sees me and he tries to rip my head off or something.” He was doing his best to hide how freaked out he was, but it was tough. His first time meeting his birth father and it ended in gunshots and terror.

“Nero… I’m so sorry, the whole thing was my fault,” Kyrie murmured softly as she wrung her hands together. “I startled him and set him off, I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

Nero shook his head and reached out to grasp one of her hands and give it a reassuring squeeze. Of course she would blame herself for something that she had nothing to do with.

“Nah, don’t think that for one second, Kyrie,” he gently scolded. “It wasn’t about that. He was trying to get to me. I mean… Dante mentioned a little before about how much the guy loved Yamato. And like, he doesn’t even know us, so I guess we shouldn’t take it personally… but still. If he had hurt you, I would have killed him, family or not,” Nero continued with a soft growl. “I guess I didn’t expect him to have some sort of freak sword-radar for it or whatever the hell that was,” he added with a shrug. 

“Maybe because it was so important to him... he remembered everything about it. I don’t know much about that sword, but I know it has some sort of special power. I suppose if he truly treasured it, it would feel like a part of him,” Kyrie replied and squeezed Nero’s hand in response. “Nero, please don’t let this spoil your opinion of him. I don’t think any of us can actually imagine what he’s been through--and like you said, he doesn’t know who we are… please, promise me you’ll give it a real chance with him?” Kyrie prodded him hopefully. “If it doesn’t work out, then okay, you’ll still have me, Dante and Trish, and Lady too, but I think this could be something wonderful for you.”

Nero sighed loudly and nodded his head in agreement. He really wouldn’t stand for Vergil attempting to hurt or even scare Kyrie, but deep down inside he didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity either. He would never jeopardize Kyrie for the chance to have some sort of relationship with Vergil though, there was no question about that. Tonight’s events didn’t exactly inspire confidence in the teen that there would be anything there between them when all was said and done--the guy seemed unstable at best, and he wasn’t up for dealing with it if things fell apart like this again before they even got started.

“I’ll try, I promise,” the teen conceded and pecked Kyrie on the cheek. “But if he doesn’t want any part of it, or if he does some shit to endanger you or something… I’m out, and I mean it. I don’t care if he’s my father-- I won’t stand for him hurting you. I’ve lived this long without the guy, it’s not like I’ll be missing out on too much else,” Nero huffed. “But I’ll give it a shot, as long as he chills the hell out.”

“I have a good feeling about this,” Kyrie hummed and leaned against him. The tender moment was somewhat ruined by the rising shouts from inside of the shop and another gunshot, but both of them managed to mostly ignore it, lest they ruin the somewhat stable atmosphere they’d created. “I suppose we can just stay out here until things calm down inside though, just to make it easier on everyone,” Kyrie added with a small, nervous laugh.

Nero nodded his agreement and rested his hand over Blue Rose’s holster, just in case.

\--

Vergil could definitely say things were not going his way tonight. It took everything he had to make it down the steps for food, only to be ambushed before he could eat anything. That damned light was like hellfire in his eyes even no after a few days of being free from the demon realm. Then, as if _that_ pain wasn’t bad enough, someone decided to _shoot him_. None of that compared to the real issue here though: his sword.

There weren’t many things in Vergil’s life that he held dear. Family was a sore subject on many fronts for the half devil, but there were some positives. As for material possessions, he didn’t care for much. His amulet was one thing that he cherished, and the devastation of not knowing where it was right now was a terrible burden as it was. 

The other item that Vergil loved above all other things he had ever owned was his sword. His precious Yamato. He **knew** that was gone, broken and abandoned during his entrapment in Hell. If he’d had his way he’d have clung onto the pieces until he died, but things just didn’t work out like that. Vergil had rightly believed he would never see it again, so imagine his surprise and confusion when he felt his weapon so close to him. It had startled him at first, just how clearly he felt it, but the pull of the dark blade was undeniable. What was even more confusing to the devil was where the feeling was coming from.

Vergil didn’t recognize the boy, but between the two occupants of the doorway, the sword’s energy was practically pulsing off of him and waving a big red flag for him to see. Vergil felt a sort of madness overtake him, a mania he hadn’t quite expected when exposed to the possibility that he might reclaim Yamato. His life had literally been a living hell for most of his life at this point, and even after awakening in Dante’s care he hadn’t held out much hope for anything positive, save for being mostly-alive at the moment. Something snapped in him, and he made a desperate attempt to right something wrong in his life-- he just hadn’t been planning on getting shot.

It took several more minutes of wrestling Dante and being pinned by the other man for Vergil to regain some of his wits about him. The pain from the bullet was mostly gone, and now he was just exhausted and sore from the fighting on the floor in his weakened state. In all honesty, Vergil couldn’t say he was even mad at Lady for shooting him, it was the smartest thing to do, because he probably would have torn that boy apart if he didn’t get his sword. He barely felt any calmer though even after the apparent teenagers had left the kitchen, but luckily for everyone he was too tired to keep struggling.

“Are you gonna chill the hell out, or are we gonna have to knock you out and chain you to the wall?” Dante grumbled as he continued to pin the older twin down to the floor by laying his whole body on top of Vergil’s back. 

“That was my sword, I know it was!” Vergil hissed and tried to wriggle free from his brother’s dead weight on him. “It was Yamato! That’s MINE,” he growled and tried to elbow Dante as best he could, even though he couldn’t reach.

“I’m serious Vergil, if you don’t settle down and stop freaking out like a fucking psycho, I’m gonna have Lady plant one in your other side!” Dante threatened, knowing full-well that Lady would be more than happy to help. Said huntress gave Vergil a warning glare from the doorway to confirm it.

Vergil grumbled loudly and flailed a little more before he finally gave up and sank limply against the tiled floor. This was getting him nowhere and he really didn’t feel like getting shot again.

“That’s better. Now… I’m gonna let you up, but first we’re gonna have to have some ground rules, got it?” the younger twin asked and poked his brother on the back of the head. “Otherwise you ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

“Fine,” Vergil snarled and tried to swat at the poking finger.

“Okay, good. First up: If I let you up and you try to go all crazy again, we’re going to tie your ass up, guaranteed,” Dante threatened and jabbed Vergil with his finger again. “Second: Yamato is OFF LIMITS-- and shut up before you try to argue,” he added when Vergil made a noise of disagreement. “No one is trying to keep it from you, okay bro? I promise, if you _really_ want your sword back then I’ll do whatever I can to get it to you. But there’s a lot of stuff going on that you don’t know shit about, so just do us all, especially _yourself_ , a favor, and stop going all rage-mode about it. Nothing bad has happened to it, it’s perfectly safe,” Dante explained, giving up the poking in favor of a more serious demeanor.

Vergil growled softly in response but he nodded his head. As much as he hated to admit it, Dante had been taking pretty good care of him, even despite their history together, and his twin was never one for malicious acts, so he supposed he could try and trust him this once. Granted, if Vergil noticed anything fishy going on then he wouldn’t hesitate to break these little rules they were agreeing on.

“Okay, so… last major rule: You even think about hurting anyone here or doing any fucked up shit again, and I will personally send your ass back where you came from. I can’t put my family through that," Dante explained calmly but seriously. “You’re my brother… I’ve wished for this for so long, for some chance to right the messed up shit that’s gone on between us, but I won’t tolerate you doing anything to the people I care about. Trish, Lady, the kid, and his girlfriend. You’ll get to meet them officially later, and hopefully this time you won’t try to maul them,” he added with a small chuckle. “Are we in agreement?”

The elder twin mulled over what Dante told him for a few moments. Obviously these people were important if Dante was letting them stay in the shop, especially with Vergil himself upstairs, but maybe there was more to it than that. There was no harm in playing along for the time being. If things didn’t work out then he would just retrieve his sword himself and be on his way once he was strong enough. He’d been alone this long anyways, what was a little more?

“Very well…” Vergil agreed and nodded his head. “I’ll follow the rules, I promise,” he snorted softly. He felt like he was a child being scolded by a parent, but his agreement finally got Dante to get off of him and stop crushing him to the floor.

“Awesome. Now… let’s get you some food and then back to bed, I think that’s enough excitement for one night, and plus, you look like shit and you’re freaking everyone out,” Dante snorted as he helped Vergil up from the floor. “You’re gonna give us all nightmares.”

Vergil did the adult thing and flipped his brother off as he hobbled to the counter and leaned against it. Luckily Dante took pity of him and fetched some fresh pieces of pizza and heated it up for him. At some point Lady had vanished, probably bored by the conversation, not that it really mattered to him now. The bullet wound had already mostly closed, thankfully, so Vergil cleaned himself up with some paper towels while waiting for the food. He ended up eating at the table in the dark with Dante, who suddenly decided that he was hungry too, and thankfully they didn’t feel the need to speak about anything while they did so.

Vergil allowed Dante to help him back upstairs to the bathroom and then the bedroom. He couldn’t help but to notice that the downstairs area was deserted, but he had thought he sensed Yamato nearby--possibly outside? The thought comforted him a little as he settled into the bed with a heavy sigh.

The elder twin had so many questions for his brother. Who were those two in the kitchen? They must be someone important if Dante didn’t seem concerned about leaving Yamato with them. How long had he even been gone for? Yamato was definitely broken the last time he’d seen it, was it still like that? Also, that boy had white hair… Vergil wasn’t sure but he thought maybe he’d had blue eyes as well. That was rather strange, and maybe he had imagined it, but one of the boy’s arms had looked a little strange, but maybe it was some kind of gauntlet weapon? 

Vergil didn’t voice any of his questions just yet though-- Dante had said he would explain and introduce them, and at the moment he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes open. Tomorrow someone would be explaining everything, and hopefully returning Yamato. Vergil didn’t think he had the energy yet to overtake anyone for the sword, but he would find a way if he had to.

\--

Nero was starting to drift off as he leaned against Kyrie’s shoulder. He was suddenly so exhausted, the stress of the last few days had caught up to him. Just when he was about to completely conk out, the front door of the shop swung open and startled him.

“Hey guys, the ice prince is upstairs in bed. He’s been thoroughly warned and threatened, so it should be safe now. Plus he’s probably asleep by now anyways,” Dante called out from the doorway and motioned for them to come back in. “Come on, gotta get that beauty sleep, right kid?”

Nero flipped the elder man off and walked back inside with his arm draped loosely around Kyrie. Leave it to this idiot to joke about a serious matter like that. He barely remembered falling back onto the couch bed, but the last thought in his mind was that he was terrified about what would happen tomorrow when he woke up.


	6. Chapter 6

Nero tossed and turned for a long time, unable to completely shake off the events that had transpired in the kitchen earlier. He trusted Dante’s judgment usually, even if he’d never admit to it, but right now he couldn’t help but to be a little concerned that maybe the older man was being blinded by his personal feelings. Was it _really_ safe for them to be under the same roof as Vergil? The little he knew about this guy didn’t exactly leave him feeling confident that everything would be just fine and dandy around the shop going forward. Nero could only shrug it off as he stared out the shop’s windows into the darkness; there was no use in worrying himself to death, he’d just have to be extra vigilant from now on until things settled fully.

Eventually the teen clambered to his feet and trudged into the kitchen to make some coffee. He didn’t like the beverage all that much, but he wasn’t going to be able to sleep so he might as well wake himself up and do something to pass the time -- he still had a while before the sun rose. The best idea Nero could come up with as he sipped his drink a short while later was to go outside and squeeze in a little exercise. He hadn’t been out much since this whole ordeal started, and the teen didn’t want to lose his edge just because his whole life had been flipped upside down. Besides, with the way things had been playing out, it wasn’t exactly a bad idea.

Nero drained the rest of his cup and ditched it in the sink, then quietly dressed so he wouldn’t disturb Kyrie and grabbed his weapons before he headed back into the kitchen and out of the back door of the shop. There wasn’t a ton of room to work in behind the building, but it was enough, and it was more private with the extremely tall fence around the backyard, unlike the exposed and limited space of the front side of the building. Thankfully the moon was bright and the sky was clear for the moment. Nero wandered into the middle of the space, leaving Red Queen on the slightly dilapidated picnic table back there so he could start doing some light stretches before he got down to business.

A half-hour or so passed with Nero just working on standard exercises before he finally felt warmed up enough to pick up his sword. The teen jogged lightly back over to the picnic table to pick up his weapon, but he hesitated as he reached for her. It was hard for Nero to explain, but he was suddenly a lot more interested in practicing with Yamato instead. Maybe it was because he had a feeling he might not have it much longer, or maybe the blade was itching to be utilized since its _real_ master was around? Nero might have questioned his sanity at that last question and the implications that a sword could think and feel, but considering everything else… he figured it was possible, even if it was unlikely.

Shrugging off the weird thoughts that had suddenly invaded his mind, Nero sighed and decided to just go with the flow. He picked up his sword and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he called on the power of Yamato. If he was honest with himself, Nero would admit that he really felt like he was lacking when it came to utilizing the sword. He’d seen Dante use it before, and the difference was clear. Dante had also, though begrudgingly, mentioned before that Vergil was a lot more talented at swordplay than he was -- though if Nero wasn’t mistaken, he thought the elder hunter sounded a little proud of his twin. Nero snorted briefly as the thought that perhaps he could ask Vergil for some pointers crossed his mind.

_‘Yeah sure, if I wanna get mauled to death,’_ Nero thought to himself with a shake of his head. That was definitely out of the question, at least for now.

The teenaged hunter rolled his neck and shoulders a couple of times before he warmed up with Yamato, sending out a few of the ethereal swords that Dante had once told him were called _Summoned Swords_. It wasn’t the most… interesting name, but it made sense. Feeling pretty good about the strength of the energy blades he’d blasted into the air, Nero shook off his thoughts and began working through some other moves he was used to doing with Yamato, determined to lose himself for a little while.

\---

Vergil managed a good hour or two of sleep after Dante helped him into bed, but he found himself waking up for no real reason. He managed to totter to the bathroom alone, and helped himself to the toothbrush his brother had picked up for him. It felt good to be up and about, but he decided against taking himself downstairs for right now -- no need for any repeats of earlier, he would just wait for Dante. 

The devil hobbled back over to the bed and managed to get himself somewhat comfortable with his back propped up by pillows, only to find that he had absolutely nothing to do until his brother woke up, and who knew when that would be. Vergil sighed and leaned back against the pillows, figuring maybe he could take a small nap since he was still a bit tired. He felt like he had just closed his eyes when he felt it again -- Yamato.

Icy blue eyes snapped back open and Vergil glanced around, trying to pinpoint where the sensation was coming from. He twisted around on the bed, his heart racing as the familiar feeling of Yamato’s dark energy surged and ebbed somewhere close by. His gaze narrowed as it landed on the window behind the bed, and with a bit of effort the devil heaved himself up onto his knees so he could peer outside. Vergil felt his eyebrows raise ever so slightly as he took in the sight outside in what appeared to be the backyard of the shop… and that boy from before.

Vergil felt himself growl slightly as he watched the scene unfolding in the backyard. He was right when he assumed that boy had his sword. It was strange, it wasn’t like the boy was swinging her around or anything, but the power was there… and was that some sort of Summoned Swords knock-off? It looked different, but the core of the attack was still familiar. The devil quirked an eyebrow slightly at that -- did Dante teach the boy or had he figured it out on his own? Vergil was so distracted with observing and silently critiquing the performance he was watching that he didn’t even notice he wasn’t alone until a hand grasped his shoulder firmly.

Vergil would never admit for the rest of his life that he jumped a bit when he was grabbed. He managed to cover up how startled he was by taking a swing at the offender, who turned out to be Dante, and managed to catch his twin on the chin. 

“What are you doing?!” he hissed, swatting at his brother while Dante laughed a bit at him.

“Just coming to check on my beloved twin. Is there a problem with that?” the younger devil asked with a grin.

“Die in a hole,” Vergil growled as he glared at his brother. “I’m surprised you’re even up right now,” he added with a snort. 

“Well, I figured your pasty ass might be hungry, so I came to check on you. If you’re good, I’ll even take you outside to play after,” he added, which earned him another glare.

“...Outside?” Vergil asked, glancing towards the window again. Outside could work. “Very well…” he agreed with a small huff. 

“Good. I’ll be back in a few with the food, try not to scare any children or small animals with your face while I’m gone,” Dante called out over his shoulder as he headed out the bedroom door.

“We look the same, you imbecile…” Vergil muttered with a roll of his eyes. He shook his head and sighed, turning his attention back to the window. The boy was still out there, so the devil took the time while he waited to observe him. There was some sort of weird… phantom like presence behind him some of the time as Yamato’s energy pulsed, and Vergil wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. Was it the sword, or an ability of the boy? He supposed if they were going outside later he’d be able to observe it a little closer -- before he took his sword back.

Dante returned shortly with two plates of scrambled eggs and bacon and two cups balanced precariously in his arms, and Vergil felt his stomach twist painfully. He was ravenous now that his strength was starting to return. The elder twin eagerly accepted the food and drink from his brother and began tearing into it. Normally such uncouth behavior would have mortified Vergil, but right now he was starving and anxious to get out.

“Take a breath, bro… don’t choke to death after I spent all this time fixin’ you up,” Dante teased as he shoveled his own food into his mouth in a similar, but less intense manner.

Vergil only growled in response as he cleaned his plate and set it aside so he could rain the contents of his cup. He felt a little uncomfortable from eating so fast, but he didn’t care. 

“Hurry up, I want to get out of this room,” Vergil huffed as he glared at his twin.

“Chill out, we have all day,” Dante replied with a roll of his eyes as he finished his own food. “Besides… we need to have a little chat before we go out.”

Vergil quirked an eyebrow at his twin, curious and a little anxious at hearing they needed to ‘talk’. Talk about what? He already agreed to the stupid rules… what else could there be?

“Then talk,” the elder twin huffed and folded his arms over his chest, trying to cover up the apprehension he was feeling.

“So… you’ve been gone for a while. Like… a really long time. A lot of stuff has happened, you know,” Dante started, scratching the back of his head a bit awkwardly.

“Obviously,” Vergil drawled, scowling a bit. What was this all about?

“Yeah, so anyways, remember the two from the kitchen? You know, when you went all ‘Hulk-smash’ downstairs like a total psycho?” Dante prodded, obviously trying to be annoying on purpose in retaliation for his brother’s attitude.

“Hn… the boy and girl, yes, I remember,” Vergil replied, wisely keeping his comment about ‘strays’ to himself. Besides… he was curious about them, especially the boy. The girl seemed innocent, and **human** , enough. “What about them?” 

“Okay… well… shit, this is… okay,” Dante huffed, earning himself a confused look from his brother. “So as you might have noticed, the kid, has Yamato…” he explained, wrinkling his nose a bit -- a trait they shared when annoyed or anxious, a fact Vergil didn’t miss. 

“I noticed,” he replied icily. “Is there a reason you’d give something so **precious** to someone so… well, _someone else_?” Vergil asked, the frost in his tone almost enough to leave icicles in the room.

Dante groaned and shook his head and cracked his knuckles, obviously trying not to fidget.

“This is awkward as fuck,” the younger twin admitted bluntly. If only this conversation could have been pinned on someone else. “Okay well, the kid, his name is Nero, and the girl is Kyrie, his girlfriend. Real sweet thing, honestly,” Dante explained. “Kid’s pretty cool too, a little hot-headed, but he’s young, so it’s expected.”

The fact that his brother was stalling wasn’t lost on Vergil, and he leveled his twin with a glare that said to hurry the hell up and get to the point.

“Alright, alright,” Dante raised his hands in defense. “So, I know you’ve probably got more questions than you know what to do with. But I’ll try to stick to the basics for now. We met the pair of them a while back when some shit went down. You know, the usual ‘I’m going to open a Hell Gate’ spiel, uh, no offense,” he explained with a slightly sheepish look once he realized he might just be pissing off Vergil by reminding him of the last _real_ time they’d seen each other before this. “Well, we all kept in touch, I kinda took the kid under my wing and stuff, got him some real training since basically everyone he knew turned out to be crazy… eh, but that’s a story for later,” Dante shrugged off as he caught another glare from his twin.

“Please, get to the point,” Vergil sighed, feeling like he might be sick. His brother _never_ used to act this unsure-- just **what** exactly was he trying to tell him?

“Okay, okay,” Dante conceded with a sigh and a ran a hand through his own hair. “So, the reason the kid has Yamato is, well, he’s actually the one who recovered it. Those freaks were keeping the shards, and long story short, the kid managed to repair it--don’t ask me how, it’s just what happened,” Dante spit out quickly when he saw his brother preparing to interrupt. “Yamato was never really my style, and honestly… I couldn’t bear to see it just wasting away if I brought it home. Besides, the kid really earned it, and it wasn’t like I just handed it to him and sent him on his way. He’s taken good care of it… really,” Dante explained with a sigh. 

Vergil pursed his lips as he took in the story his brother was telling him. So the sword was broken, just like he remembered… and somehow this... _Nero_ managed to fix her? It was strange, and he needed more information, but he doubted he would get it from Dante. 

“I know how much it means to you, but you know… it means a lot to him too,” Dante carefully explained, eyeing his brother for any signs that he understood what he was asking without actually saying it.

“It’s mine. It’s all I have,” Vergil replied immediately, feeling his chest constrict a bit. No matter how much Dante trusted this boy… it was _his_ , and he needed it.

“Verge... “ Dante started but was interrupted as his brother held up a hand to silence him.

“You have no idea, _no idea_!” Vergil hissed at his twin. “Don’t try and convince me otherwise.”

“...Okay Verge, I’ll take care of it,” Dante sighed in response. “Look… that’s not it though,” he continued, and the look on his face made Vergil tense up even more.

“What else could there possibly be?” the elder twin growled, feeling his patience waning. “Stop sparing me from whatever it is and just spit it out.”

“Fine. Quick and easy, like a bandaid,” Dante shrugged, though the confidence in his voice didn’t reach his eyes. “We thought it was weird that the kid could use Yamato the way he does, the white hair, the eyes, everything, so we did some digging around. Turns out, you’re not the frosty bastard I always assumed you were,” the younger twin explained, not quite smirking, but a wry sort of amusement was present as they stared at each other.

“...What in the seven hells is that supposed to mean?” Vergil asked, feeling his eyebrow twitch in irritation.

“Nero is your son,” Dante stated bluntly. “And no, before you ask, it’s physically impossible for him to be mine, and we did a DNA test and everything.”

“...........” Vergil stared at his brother as if he’d grown a second head. “Very funny,” he replied after a moment with a snort, shaking his head at his brother’s antics.

“I’m serious,” Dante replied, narrowing his gaze just a bit. “I wanted to break it to you a little more gently, but hey, you asked,” he shrugged somewhat awkwardly. “It’s part of the reason I never asked for the sword back. Figured it was sort of fitting for him to have it.”

“Impossible!” Vergil hissed as he scowled at Dante. “I don’t have any children, I’ve been in the demon realm, in case you hadn’t noticed!” he protested.

“I know, dumbass. The kid’s age fits perfectly for when you were on your little crusade to fuck the world over. I guess even you needed to kick back and have a little fun sometimes,” Dante replied with a loud snort. “I’m guessing you must have just hit it and quit it, the kid was left as a baby at some orphanage or something and adopted,” he explained. “Look… I know it’s a LOT to take in, but trust me… we checked this inside and out, backwards and forwards… it’s airtight. In fact, we just told the kid _literally_ right before you showed up outside looking like death itself. He had no idea,” Dante continued, hoping to calm his brother with cold hard facts rather than the possibility that they might be wrong.

Vergil didn’t say anything, instead choosing to stare down at his tightly balled fists as he attempted to take it all in. There was no way… he couldn’t have a child, he couldn’t! The devil struggled to remember, but bits and pieces of his past were still fuzzy or just plain gone. If he really thought hard, he could sort of recall snippets here or there, a flash of long, dark hair and pale skin. He was just a young man himself back then, and despite his usual cool and collected exterior, even he had… urges. And it wasn’t out of line to say that despite his aloof nature, Vergil recalled that he had plenty of attention from all sides of the field.

“Are you honestly sure? One hundred percent?” Vergil asked quietly after he took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He couldn’t freak out now, he had to stay lucid. His sword was riding on it.

“Absolutely sure,” Dante replied firmly.

Vergil felt his heart sink a bit; how was he supposed to proceed with this information?  
He had never planned on having a family, children… anything. Now he finds out he has a son… a grown son, and no real idea who the mother is. Clearly the boy had survived without him all this time, so it wasn’t like he really had much to offer the child. Besides… would he even be interested? The boy, no, _Nero_ , was obviously here and close with his brother, but what about himself? He was just… here suddenly, what did that mean for any of them? Did Nero want a father? Or more specifically… was he interested in having **Vergil** for a father? He had Dante already.

Matters for Vergil were also complicated by the fact that he’d just had all this information dumped on him and he had no idea how he felt about it. Was he happy? Sad? Possibly mortified? It seemed inappropriate in Vergil’s opinion to proceed with any kind of relationship with the boy when he had no idea how he felt about matters. It was all becoming a bit overwhelming for the devil, and he shook his head to try and clear it.

“Verge… no one’s saying you gotta jump in and start taking the kid to baseball games or anything,” Dante explained as if reading his mind. “This has gotta be… well, pretty damned rough on you. But it is what it is,” he continued. “I think maybe later, after you’ve had some time to think, it might be good to at least meet the kid,” the younger twin suggested. “Nothing crazy, no pressure, just maybe actually introduce the two of you.” 

Vergil laid back on the bed and closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths as he struggled to keep himself calm and collected. Sunlight was just beginning to filter into the room and he covered his eyes, only to block out the light and certainly not to hold in any emotion that might be starting to leak out.

“Yamato. I need Yamato,” he murmured, desperate for something familiar to ground himself with.

Dante frowned down at his twin as he rose from the bed and closed the curtains and blinds. It wasn’t exactly the ideal answer, but it wasn’t surprising either.

“Yeah bro, I’ll take care of it. Why don’t you just lay down for a while and I’ll come check on you later. Maybe we’ll get that fresh air later,” Dante suggested and gathered the dishes. “I’ll be back in a little while… just holler if you need me,” he called quietly over his shoulder as he exited the room and closed the door.

Vergil grabbed one of the pillows he’d been leaning against before and covered his face with it, growling an unintelligible string of curses and noises into it to keep everyone from hearing him. He wanted to scream, he wanted to throw a fit and deny it all, but even his brother wouldn’t go this far for a practical joke-- hell, Dante, as annoying as he could be, wouldn’t even go this far if he was _mostly_ but not **totally** sure about something like this. Maybe it was childish to feel this way, but Vergil felt he deserved to be a little childish right now. All he had wanted was to maybe patch himself up and then drift into obscurity for a while, and now everything had been turned on its head. 

With a resigned sigh the devil removed the pillow from his face and turned over on his side, letting the exhaustion drift over him to replace the frustration and confusion he was feeling. It wouldn’t do him, or anyone really, any favors to try and sort this out when he was this tired and miserable. Vergil supposed he couldn’t change it, so he might as well deal with it on his own terms. 

\---

Nero jogged back into the kitchen as the sun started to rise and grabbed a small dish towel to wipe the sweat off of his forehead. He was feeling pretty good, the frustrations of the week having melted away with a good work out. Nero hummed quietly to himself as he swiped a gatorade out of Dante’s fridge and guzzled it as he leaned against the counter. As he was about to head back out, Dante made his way into the kitchen with a slightly sour look on his face.

“What’s your deal, old man?” Nero asked as he popped his shoulders and grabbed a second bottle to take with him. “I’m surprised you’re up,” he added with a snort.

Dante quirked an eyebrow at the teen, wondering if it was a father/son thing to question his sleeping habits, but he quickly shook that thought away.

“Same to you, kid. You getting a little work out in?” he asked, seeing the towel and the slightly disheveled state of him.

“Yeah, couldn’t sleep…” Nero admitted as he indicated he was heading back outside. Suddenly the kitchen felt stifling. The teen figured Dante was following him -- the man seemed like something was on his mind, so Nero sat down at the table and waited for him to spill it. “Spit it out, I know you have something to say.”

Dante rolled his eyes at the younger hunter’s antics -- this was really getting to be a bit amusing. He might make a list of the similarities later so he could laugh about it. 

“Yeah, you think?” Dante snorted softly as he leaned against the opposite side of the picnic table. “Well, I’ve had a long morning already, so I’ll just skip to the good parts. I told him. About you,” he said with a sigh. “I was trying to break it gently, but he’s about as patient as you are... “ the devil added with a slight chuckle. 

Nero stared at Dante for a few moments, feeling like his blood had frozen in his veins. He wasn’t sure how it was going to go down, but considering the shop was still standing, Vergil must have at least taken it somewhat _decently_. He supposed he was somewhat thankful he wasn’t there for the ‘unveiling’ of the situation, now he could just focus on not vomiting when they were actually face to face, instead of worrying about his _father_ losing his shit.

“....Greeeeeeaaaat.” Nero shook his head and glanced over at the shop for a moment, seeing the closed curtains of the room where Vergil had been staying all this time. “Well, how did he take it?” he asked as his gaze shifted back to the other man. 

“Tch, better than I expected, actually,” Dante replied with a loud snort. “I guess it helps that he’s too weak and tired to do much right now,” he added as an afterthought. “But that’s actually what brings me out here…” 

Nero shifted in his seat, feeling like this was where things took a turn for the worse. Obviously he’d gotten off too easily just now, there was always something else waiting to come down.

“I figured. What is it?” Nero asked, though he had a sinking feeling that he already knew.

“Look kid…” Dante started, pursing his lips for a moment as he gathered himself. “He asked for his sword… like, it’s kind of hard to explain how much he loves that thing. It’s a bit weird, actually,” he laughed somewhat awkwardly to try and diffuse the tension. “I told him the gist of what happened with it, but he’s pretty insistent.”

“I know. I understand,” Nero replied somewhat softly as he stared at his own hands. “It seemed like it was really important to him last night. I guess I don’t entirely get it, but I sorta do,” he continued with a shrug. “I wouldn’t want to keep something like that from him. I guess he doesn’t have much else.” 

_‘Well… besides me,’_ Nero added silently to himself. _‘Not that he’s interested. Probably.’_

“Eh, thanks for understanding, kid. I don’t think it’s gonna make him as happy as he thinks, but I can’t tell him that. He’ll just have to figure it out himself,” Dante replied with a shake of his head.

“Hey, Dante…” Nero spoke up after a few moments, turning his gaze back to the other. “Do you think maybe we could wait? I’d… I think I’d rather hand it to him myself. If that’s okay.”

Dante smiled slightly and nodded his head.

“I think that’d be fine. And if he doesn’t like it, then too damned bad,” he added with a snort. “Hey kid, I ate breakfast with Vergil but I’m still kinda hungry. You wanna sneak out for a bite to eat while everyone’s still asleep? My treat,” Dante offered with his trademark grin. 

Nero knew the other man must be distressed if he was offering to pay for something of his own free will. 

“...Yeah, sure, why not. I’m pretty hungry too,” Nero agreed. It would be good to get away for a little while before his inevitable meeting with Vergil. “Let’s go. I guess we’re both gonna need out strength for later,” he added with a wry smile. 

“Tch, you’re telling me… I got punched just for talking to the guy earlier,” Dante replied as they headed back inside through the kitchen.

“Fantastic, I can’t wait until I get to talk to him,” Nero snorted softly as they snuck out the front door and headed to breakfast. He figured he could worry about what was going to happen when they got back. Maybe he could convince Dante to slip Vergil some sleeping pills… though probably not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay… there it is *w*;; They’ll definitely be meeting next chapter-- I didn’t feel like I could squeeze all of that drama into this chapter and have it play out properly, so I cut it here. I thought briefly about having Vergil just flip his shit, but that didn’t seem very Vergil-like, plus, I think he’s smart enough to know that it wouldn’t help, so instead he’ll sit back and observe and plot, and just play it cool until it’s time to make whatever moves he wants xD Thanks to everyone who’s read, reviewed, and just showed love in general. You guys are awesome!! I can’t wait to type up the meeting, mwuahaha. If you spot any crazy misspellings or anything, feel free to let me know! I read it a few times… but it’s all starting to blend together now xD Also, Vergil refers to his sword a lot in the female form just because I imagine he would consider it more akin to an elegant, beautiful, and deadly force, rather than brutish and just over-the-top like a lot of other weapons in the series xD


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Whew, I’m on a roll! I decided to go ahead and strike while the iron was hot, and work on this chapter xD There’s going to be a few page breaks during the meat of this, just so it’s a little less cluttered and more focused on each person. So yeah, onto the MEETING!!

Vergil’s eyes snapped open and he sat up in the bed, breathing a bit heavily as he returned to consciousness from the nightmare he was having. It was just a dream about this time in the demon realm, nothing new for him really, so he shook it off and ran both of his hands through his hair and over his face to try and clear his thoughts. His attempts to regain his wits backfired slightly as he recalled exactly why he was still in the bedroom avoiding the world: _his child_.

The devil sighed heavily and leaned back into the pillows, his gaze drifting over toward the window. Even with the curtains and blinds drawn, Vergil could tell quite a bit of time had passed-- it looked like it might be closer to sunset now. Dante had said he would return shortly… perhaps his brother could sense his distress and exhaustion and had just decided to let him sleep. Vergil could pick up his presence nearby, probably downstairs, so he wasn’t too concerned. Rather than trying to rush to his doom, the devil decided to just lay back and collect his thoughts for a little while. Eventually Dante would come and collect him and he would have to face the boy downstairs.

\---

Nero had to say, despite the situation looming ahead of him, he had actually been enjoying the day thus far. After they’d stuff their faces, he’d returned with Dante and spent a little time sparring with him before Kyrie woke up. After that he’d mostly spent his time lounging around, taking a cat nap, snacking, and just hanging out. Dante had suggested cooking out in the backyard since the weather wasn’t terrible and he was tired of hearing complaints about all of the pizza they were eating, so Nero found himself outside with everyone else in the backyard. 

“Are you sure you’re not burning them?” Nero called out as he swung Red Queen around on the far side of the yard. Dante had insisted he was a master of the grill and could whip up burgers and hot dogs in no time, but so far no one was believing him.

“Yeah, it smells like a Hell Gate,” Lady snorted from the picnic table where she was cleaning her guns. 

“Don’t tease him or you might make him burn it even worse,” Trish scolded them playfully from the kitchen door. “I’m already concerned about it being edible as it is…” she added, earning herself a small giggle from Kyrie who was helping her make some side dishes to go with the meal.

“Yeah, well, I don’t see you two doing anything useful,” Dante shot back at both Lady and Nero, waving his spatula in a threatening manner. “Freeloaders don’t get to complain.”

Nero was about to reply when a somewhat faint crash sounded from inside the shop. He glanced up in the direction of the bedroom window for a moment before his gaze flickered over to Dante and was met with one of the hunter’s rare serious looks. The teen supposed the hour of truth was upon them now.

“Hey Lady, take over the grill for me. I gotta go grab the guest of honor,” Dante called out as he tore his gaze from Nero’s. He tossed the huntress the spatula as she approached and hurried inside through the kitchen and disappeared from sight.

Nero bit his lip slightly but turned back to continue practicing with Red Queen to distract himself. 

_‘Here we go…’_

\---

Vergil grumbled to himself as he braced himself on the bed and dragged his body up from the floor. He’d thought maybe he could get up and hunt for some clean clothes, but he’d had a small dizzy spell and promptly fallen over, taking out the lamp on the bedside table when we went down. He was frustrated; he’d been feeling so much better, but the devil just supposed it was part of getting all of his energy back. Vergil did feel a lot stronger than he had since waking up in the shop the first time, so he figured a little dizziness here and there was tolerable-- at least it beat staying in bed all day. 

“I think I’m gonna start charging you for all the shit you break around here,” a familiar voice called out from the doorway a short while later.

Vergil growled slightly and flipped off his brother. Leave it to Dante to show up just in time to annoy him.

“I was looking for clothes. The lamp was in my way,” the elder twin huffed, trying to retain a little dignity.

“Sure it was, bro. How about you just sit there and look pretty, and I’ll find you something to wear,” Dante replied with a snort as he entered the room and headed for his dresser. “Let’s see what we’ve got…”

Vergil huffed quietly and folded his arms over his chest; there was no use arguing about it, not that he enjoyed being treated like an invalid.

“Here, it’s not exactly up to your standards, but it’s the only thing I’ve got right now besides red leather,” the younger twin snickered and tossed over a pair of black sweatpants and a plain white button down shirt.

Vergil caught the offered clothes, only to be smacked in the face with a pair of fresh boxers. He growled quietly but accepted them nonetheless, though he had to smack Dante away when the other tried to help undress him. He was _not_ going through that again if he could help it. It took a few minutes of struggling by himself, but he managed to get everything off and kicked aside so he could change clothes without any assistance.

“Hn… I suppose this is acceptable,” Vergil muttered once he was fully dressed. He rolled the sleeves of the shirt up to his elbows and looked himself over. Definitely better than red leather.

“Yeah, now we just need to do something about your hair,” Dante teased. “You look like a child cut it with a butterknife.”

“Yes, well, I missed my last spa appointment before I decided to drop by for this lovely visit,” Vergil snapped. He’d caught his reflection in the bathroom a couple of times, so he couldn’t exactly deny he looked a little rough.

“Come on, let’s clean you up a bit and I’ll take you outside. We’re cooking out, food’s almost done. I’ll help you shower before you go to bed tonight,” Dante offered as he moved over to help him to the bathroom. “And yes, I’m sure you can do this all alone, but just let me help,” he added before his brother could protest.

Vergil pursed his lips but nodded his agreement; he hadn’t been able to shower as much as he’d normally like, and sitting in bed so much was making him feel sticky and sweaty and just over all gross and useless. The elder devil allowed his twin to gently support him, though Vergil managed to keep himself upright and moving mostly of his own accord. 

Once inside the bathroom, Vergil was made to sit down on the closed lid of the toilet with a towel wrapped around his shoulders so he could get a much needed haircut. He was a little apprehensive about trusting Dante with the scissors, but he figured even his brother wasn’t cruel enough to kick him while he was down, so he closed his eyes and let the other work his magic. The trim didn’t take long, and Vergil was given a damp rag to wipe his face and neck down while Dante cleaned up the mess.

“Okay, lookin’ good, bro. You ready to go outside?” Dante asked, leaving the question of, ‘are you ready to meet your son,’ unspoken but obvious.

Vergil bit his lip for a moment and stared at the floor. Was he ready? Not at all, but he couldn’t keep hiding in the bedroom and refusing to face the facts. The worst that could happen would be that they didn’t get along, at least, as far as he could figure. If that was the case then Vergil would just keep to himself and leave as soon as he was able.

“I believe I am,” the elder twin replied after a while and allowed Dante to help him to his feet. The pair made their way slowly but steadily down the stairs and headed into the kitchen. The room was empty now, everyone else having moved outside to the backyard, and Vergil was grateful. It bought him a few extra seconds without the staring. 

“It’s bright…” Vergil murmured, shielding his eyes slightly. The clouds had come out, but the sun still had a good hour or so before it set. 

“Oh shit, I forgot. One sec,” Dante replied and left him leaning against the kitchen table as he hurried back into the shop. The younger devil returned just a minute later and handed Vergil a pair of sunglasses. 

“I know it’s not really your style… but unless you wanna stand here until the sun goes down, it’ll have to do,” Dante shrugged as he waited for his brother to put them on.

Vergil nodded and slipped on the glasses. He felt slightly ridiculous, but the relief was instant. He was about to respond when his stomach gurgled loudly and interrupted him.

“Heh, guess it’s a good thing the food’s almost done. I hope Lady didn’t burn it,” Dante snickered, conveniently leaving out that he was the one burning it.

“Why do I suspect she’s a much better cook than you?” Vergil retorted as he allowed Dante to take his elbow for support again. “Let’s just… get this over with.”

Dante nodded and helped his twin out of the back door. The first pair of eyes he met belonged to Trish, who took the silent message and sat herself at the far end of the right side of the picnic table, farthest away from where Dante was going to put Vergil down. He had a feeling she wouldn’t be welcomed as a seating buddy. The next pair belonged to Lady, who took the seat opposite of Trish on the left. The plan was to sandwich Vergil between her and Dante, just in case. Kyrie took the seat next to Trish on the right, leaving the very end open for Nero, whenever he was ready to sit. Speaking of the kid, Nero hadn’t yet turned to face them, though Dante knew that he was aware of their presence.

Vergil’s eyes roamed around the backyard, though he didn’t comment on the seating arrangements. His gaze flickered over each face he saw, eyes narrowing just a bit as they passed over Trish. He didn’t care what anyone said, he still didn’t like her. The devil instead moved his attention over to Lady; he still hadn’t had the chance to speak to her like he’d wanted to before she’d run off to get Dante. Vergil decided to save it for a more… _private_ situation. The young woman he’d not met before, Kyrie he believed Dante had called her, looked a bit nervous but she was giving him a rather pleasant smile. Maybe she was tougher than she looked, especially to be hanging around this lot.

Vergil looked past the table and over to the boy by himself a bit away from the group. He could sense the tension rolling off of him from here, not that Vergil could say he was doing much better. It wasn’t until they’d passed by the table that the elder twin realized that Dante was taking him over to Nero first. So, a slightly more secluded meeting it was then-- Vergil supposed he was grateful for the tidbit of privacy for the moment. Sure, everyone else would probably see and hear _everything_ , but with the bit of space between them and the table, the ladies could just **pretend** they didn’t.

It seemed like in no time at all the pair arrived in front of Nero. Vergil took advantage of the fact that the glasses hid his eyes to look him over rather thoroughly, even though the boy wasn’t facing them yet. White hair, similar build to when they were teens, and that arm… what was with that arm? From a distance before, Vergil had thought it was some sort of weapon, but up close it clearly wasn’t. Maybe some sort of mutation?

“Okay, well… here we go,” Dante spoke up after about two full minutes of awkward silence. “Kid, uh, Nero… This is Vergil, my brother, and your, uh… dad.”

Vergil pressed his lips together in a thin line as Dante introduced him, and quickly took his sunglasses off. The fading light stung his eyes, but he’d rather deal with the pain than meet his son wearing those gaudy things. He hooked the glasses into the chest pocket of his shirt and tilted his head just slightly against the light as he watched the teenager in front of him slowly turn around to meet them.

\---

Nero was terrified. He’d faced countless demons, the man who’d helped raised him, nearly lost Kyrie… but this was different. He knew he was hiding by pretending not to notice the pair while they were on their way over, but he couldn’t help it. How did one prepare to meet the father they never knew, the father that was supposed to be dead? It would seem that he didn’t have much time to figure it out, since Dante was introducing them _right_ now.

Nero took a deep breath and slowly pivoted around to face them, feeling like someone was sitting on his chest as he came face to face with Vergil. The first thing he noticed were the older man’s eyes. They looked the same as his, the same as Dante’s even, but they were also different. He could tell Vergil was having a hard time not squinting in the light, but he still managed to pick up the differences. It wasn’t so much the appearance, but more what he saw inside. They looked like tired eyes, eyes that had seen truly horrible things. But the expression they currently held was surprisingly firm and powerful-- exactly like Dante had described.

The next thing he noticed was Vergil’s hair. The standard “Sparda white” would probably be a fitting description. It looked like it’d been trimmed more to Dante’s style than when he’d seen him last night. Nero could see the resemblance a little better now that the twins were side by side. In fact, if Vergil hadn’t looked so gaunt and pale beside his brother, it might have been nearly impossible to tell them apart.

Ignoring how awkward it might be, Nero took the time to just silently observe the man before him for a little longer. Vergil was leaning slightly on Dante, allowing the other man to help support him, but it wasn’t hard to tell that he didn’t like it. Proud, too proud for his own good, it seemed, once again just how he’d heard the man was. Despite his slightly haggard state, it was impossible to deny the power that he held. Vergil reminded Nero a bit of a cat, crouched and poised to spring at any moment. He had no doubt that if he really wanted to, Vergil could probably find a way to take even Dante down right now if the situation arose. He seemed dangerous and mysterious, but Nero thought perhaps he sensed a little apprehension from him as well.

_‘At least I’m not alone in that,’_ the teen snorted inwardly. 

Mustering more courage than he felt, Nero extended his hand in front of him. He wasn’t going to ask for a hug--too awkward and not really his personality. Vergil didn’t seem like the touchy-feely type either, thankfully.

“...Nice to finally meet you,” the teen managed out as he waited for Vergil to shake his hand.

\---

Vergil eyed the hand extended to him for just a moment before he reached up and grasped it in his own. The strange, slightly scaly skin felt a bit odd, but he decided to save his questions about it for later; no sense in offending the boy at their first official meeting.

“Likewise,” Vergil replied as they shook hands for a brief moment. “I’m afraid I haven’t heard much about you, besides your name,” he admitted as he surveyed the teen a little more. Those eyes were all-too familiar to him-- definitely related, and definitely putting a close to any suspicions that maybe Dante was wrong. “I take it you’re a demon hunter as well?” Vergil continued.

He received a somewhat awkward looking nod from the boy and sighed. This was going splendidly. Either Nero was too afraid or to weirded out to really want to talk to him. It could be worse, he supposed.

Seeming to sense the tension, Dante let out an obviously forced laugh and rubbed his own stomach.

“Hey, how about we go ahead and eat? I’m sure the ladies are starving, and you guys can shoot the shit all night. Don’t want Vergil to get sick now that he’s finally up and about, he needs to keep his strength up and eat,” Dante suggested.

Vergil nodded slowly, secretly grateful for the escape. This might have actually been easier if it was just him and the boy, but situations couldn’t be helped.

The devil allowed himself to be helped by his brother over to the table, sensing Nero following behind. Dante steered him over to the young woman with the copper hair first so he could introduce them properly before they ate.

“Hey, Kyrie, meet my brother Vergil. Vergil, Kyrie. Be nice, she’ll probably be your daughter-in-law one day,” Dante announced with a grin, causing the girl to blush profusely.

“N-Nice to meet you, sir,” Kyrie spoke up as she met Vergil’s gaze despite her embarrassment. 

“It’s a pleasure, and I would be honored,” Vergil replied, taking her hand and gently kissing the back of it for good measure. He earned himself an eye-roll from Lady for that and a snort from his brother, but he didn’t care. The girl seemed like she was genuine enough, and it was nice to meet someone who seemed to have manners and class around here.

“Alright, stop showing off and sit the hell down,” Dante chuckled and helped his brother to the other side of the table next to Lady. 

Vergil slid into the seat easily, brushing his arm a bit against Lady’s as he sat. Their gazes locked for a moment after the contact, and the devil quirked an eyebrow at her, giving her the slightest of smirks. Lady had never hid her distaste for devils, and he found he enjoyed watching the slightly confused expression morph into one of annoyance at his antics. It was a nice distraction from current events. Vergil slid his sunglasses back on as his brother slid in next to him and Nero took his seat across from Dante. He snuck another glance over at Lady, only to find her making a slicing motion across her neck as a warning if he tried anything. The motion made him snicker slightly, though he was soon distracted by the food being served.

The meal passed by relatively uneventfully, Dante seemed to make it his mission to be loud and distracting enough to keep things from being awkward. No one asked Vergil any personal questions, for which he was thankful, and the conversation was mostly kept light. His brother seemed to take pleasure in telling a few embarrassing stories about mishaps Nero had endured while hunting with him, and Vergil had to admit it was a bit entertaining. It seemed the boy wasn’t quite as careful and collected as _he_ was, but then again, the stories weren’t half as bad as some of the stupid things Dante had done. 

Vergil was a bit surprised to admit it to himself, but he was actually somewhat enjoying the night thus far. Even Trish’s presence wasn’t as grating as he’d been expecting, but then again, Dante had probably asked her to leave him alone. Occasionally he would glance over to Nero, catching the boy watching him a few times. He even attempted to ask a few questions, mostly just about things that Dante said about the boy, nothing too substantial. It wasn’t until everyone was done eating and Kyrie and Trish had volunteered to clean up that Vergil was reminded of how awkward this situation truly was. Kyrie had pecked Nero on the cheek and murmured something to him before she disappeared with her arms full of dishes. Lady had excused herself not to help, but to grab some more drinks from inside, leaving him with just Dante and Nero.

“Hey, kid. Why don’t you show Vergil some of your moves?” Dante suggested to Nero, drawing the elder twin’s attention. 

Vergil couldn’t help but to think that the boy looked a little uncomfortable, but nodded his agreement anyways. He watched as the pair got up and headed over to where they’d been talking earlier, content to just observe from where he was for the time being.

\---

Nero cursed silently to himself as he made his way over to his unofficial ‘practice’ spot. He had a feeling Dante was asking him to show off a little so maybe Vergil would be impressed or something and change his mind about Yamato, but it just didn’t sound plausible to him. The man had been… civil enough, but that didn’t mean Vergil was suddenly going to turn into father of the year and just let him keep something so important. They were still strangers as far as Nero was concerned.

The teenaged hunter shrugged off his apprehension as best he could and drew on the power of Yamato within him. The ethereal form that always manifested when he used the blade flashed briefly behind him as he triggered, and Nero inhaled sharply. It always jolted him when he did that. He wasn’t really sure what to do, so Nero just decided to go through a few of the attacks he’d come up with after gaining Yamato’s abilities. He concentrated his power, channeling it through Red Queen as he flung the blast outward. The X-shaped energy blast flew out in front of him, smashing into the scraggly trees at the end of the yard.

“Eh… whoops,” Nero mumbled, awkwardly scratching the back of his head as he surveyed the destruction. The teen decided it was probably best not to do that again, so instead he channeled the power into a series of strikes that pulsed with the energy of Yamato, hitting nothing but thin air. It felt good to let the power flow through him, and Nero felt himself smile a little as he attacked imaginary monsters for a few minutes.

After a while, Nero stopped his attacks and put Red Queen on his back so he could draw his gun. He leveled Blue Rose in front of himself and fired a few shots, slinging the energy blades called ‘Summoned Swords’ towards the trees. It was the only real move he had that he knew of that resembled something of Vergil’s, and he couldn’t help but to feel slightly self-conscious as he glanced over his shoulder towards the man to see his reaction.

\---

Vergil had been watching with interest as Nero went through a few of the attacks he knew. It was hard to look away, the power of Yamato was calling to him every time the boy drew on it. It made the devil clench his fists tightly, trying to keep himself grounded. He couldn’t freak out like last night, he had to stay calm. 

The odd rendition of his _Summoned Swords_ attack was probably the most interesting, though Vergil noticed the boy did it using his gun. He wondered if it was something he had been taught, or if Nero just managed it by accident and kept doing it that way. The devil decided he’d had enough watching and rose from his seat, though as he did so he had a slightly devious thought. It might be fun to try and see how much his own power had regenerated _and_ have a little fun at the same time.

Vergil took a breath as he began to concentrate his power, feeling it surge through him a little stronger than he expected. With a dark smirk the devil used his ability to basically teleport from his place by the table over to where Nero and Dante were. It felt like the wind had been sucked out of him when he stopped by the pair, but the marginally horrified look on the boy’s face was worth it. Nero had made some sort of choking sound and stumbled back a couple of steps-- the icing on the cake.

“Show off,” Dante snorted as he shook his head. “I hope that makes you throw up.”

Vergil smiled thinly at his brother, and sent a Summoned Sword at him for good measure. The blade was weak and slow, however, so Dante was easily able to dodge it and give him the finger at the same time. Definitely worth the effort.

“Eh, that was kinda cool…” a quiet voice spoke up, drawing Vergil’s attention. Nero was looking at him slightly less scared and more intrigued-- that was a start, at least. 

“Hn, thank you,” Vergil replied, somewhat stiffly. “I’m afraid I don’t have the energy for a repeat performance right now though.”

The teen shook his head at Vergil and seemed to fiddle with his gun for a moment. 

“No worries,” Nero mumbled and looked down to the ground. “So um, I suppose I should… give this back now,” he added as his arm began to glow brighter. 

Vergil watched, intrigued as the glow became hard for him to look at and then suddenly it was there: Yamato. Nero held the sheathed blade in his hands, and it had never looked more pristine. He couldn’t even see any trace of the former damage the sword had suffered. It was a miracle.

The devil held his breath as he reached out, accepting the blade as it was offered to him slowly. He lifted it from Nero’s hands as if it was made of glass, turning it over carefully to inspect it from all sides.

“Perfect…” he murmured, mostly to himself. 

Vergil twisted the sword around a bit more, staring at it with such reverence that he knew he must look totally insane right now, but he didn’t care. Yamato was the one constant in his life that had always been there for him until he’d foolishly let her be destroyed. That was never going to happen again as far as he was concerned; it would never leave his sight again.

The devil felt the familiar dark power of the sword surge through him, and almost as if following some primal instinct he grasped the sheath tightly in his left hand and hunched forward slightly. Vergil bared his teeth and drew the blade with lightning speed. He resheathed Yamato as he stood up straight and watched as the trees in front of them were obliterated in a series of slashes and dark energy that followed a second later. 

Vergil grunted lightly and collapsed onto one knee, knowing now that he’d overdone it for sure. It didn’t matter though, he had Yamato back in his hands.

\---

Nero watched with wide eyes as Vergil all but destroyed the backyard. He had seen Dante do a similar move before with Yamato, but nothing _that_ impressive, and Vergil could barely walk!

“Whoa…” he muttered, glancing down at Vergil. The man was hunched over, but he had a distinct smirk on his face. The teen assumed he must have been enjoying himself for the first time in a long time.

“Um, that was pretty sick,” Nero admitted as he watched Vergil being helped up by Dante. His stomach twisted painfully as he caught sight of the white-knuckle grip the elder man had on Yamato. He knew he shouldn’t be so disappointed, but he’d really grown to like the sword, and the almost comforting sense of power if provided him. Maybe they had that in common.

“Yeah, sick enough to keep this moron from being able to stand,” Dante grunted as he supported his brother with Vergil’s free arm draped around his shoulder. “I think maybe that’s enough fun for tonight... “ he continued and started dragging Vergil back towards the house. “I’ll be back in a while, try not to break anything else,” Dante called out over his shoulder. Nero just flipped him off and trekked back over to the table.

_‘I’m not the one who just broke all that shit anyways…’_ he groused to himself.

\---

Vergil grunted quietly as he was helped inside, ignoring the stares of the women when they passed by. He had no doubt they had been watching from inside and just pretending to give them some privacy, but he didn’t care. He might not be able to walk very well, couldn’t really stand even, but he had all that he needed.

“Alright, how about we get you that shower?” Dante offered as he carted Vergil into the bathroom. 

There was a bit of a struggled as Dante tried to make Vergil leave the sword, but eventually the younger twin relented. Vergil ignored the eye-rolling as he propped his sword up in the corner of the shower, still within arm’s reach as he stripped and allowed Dante to help him in. He wasn’t ashamed as his twin helped him wash, after all, they looked exactly the same and he wasn’t about to hurt himself by slipping and falling-- his regeneration wasn’t up to speed yet. Luckily Dante seemed just as eager as he was to hurry up and get the shower done with, so Vergil was able to finish quickly and hobble back to the bedroom. He tugged on the fresh boxers and pajama pants that Dante had offered him, using one hand the entire time since the other held Yamato constantly. Once he was dressed, Vergil curled up in the bed, Yamato clutched tightly to his chest as he got comfortable.

“You’re going to slice your own head off if you sleep like that,” Dante scolded him, the look of disapproval not lost on his twin.

“Shut up,” Vergil hissed and closed his eyes. He had slept so long earlier, but he was completely drained again from showing off outside. 

“Hey Verge…” Dante started as he bent down to clean up the broken lamp from earlier.

“Don’t,” Vergil replied, already knowing he was going to say something about giving the sword back.

“...Tch, whatever,” Dante replied with a snort. “Hey, thanks for not being a total dick tonight, I know the whole thing was probably really weird for you,” he added as he scooped the majority of the mess up and tossed it into the small trash can by the bed.

“Hn… it wasn’t all that unpleasant, I suppose,” Vergil replied. He cracked his eyes open after a moment and rolled over to face his brother. “Do you think… well, what do you think _he_ thinks? Of me?”

“The kid? Uh, well, I honestly don't’ know. I was expecting to have to break up some kind of fight, so I wasn’t really paying attention I guess,” Dante admitted. “I didn’t think you’d really be worried about it, how cute,” he teased lightly as he stood up and dusted his hands off.

“Shut up, you curr. I’m not a totally heartless monster, you know,” Vergil growled back.

“Coulda fooled me before,” Dante snorted in response. “But I dunno, he seemed pretty… interested, in you. Maybe you guys can just hang out and talk or something later. In private, without all the pressure of everyone eavesdropping on you,” he suggested with a shrug. “Don’t stress over it too much. I think maybe tonight was enough overstimulation for the two of you. I’ll prob take the kid out on a mission or something tomorrow so you can both relax without trying to play nice.”

Vergil nodded his agreement, silently thankful for his twin’s foresight. Tonight hadn’t been terrible… but it _had_ been highly stressful and Vergil didn’t think he was ready for round two quite yet.

“Very well,” he replied softly and closed his eyes.

“ Okay, well, ‘night Verge,” Dante called out and headed out, closing the door quietly behind him.

“Goodnight…” Vergil murmured, snorting at his own domestic behavior. He never in a million years he’d be being tucked in and wished goodnight by his twin.

_‘Then again, I never imagined I’d be a father either,’_ he thought to himself.

The devil sighed heavily and tightened his grip on Yamato, the sword safely in its sheath and pressed against his chest as he felt himself falling asleep. He would try for Nero’s sake to forge some sort of relationship with him, but he just couldn’t, _he wouldn’t_ , give up the only possession he had left that meant anything to him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for this update, things got a little crazy around here - I got promoted at work after a lot of craziness, and some other things happened in my personal life that kept me too busy to sit down and finish the chapter I'd started. That being said, not a whole lot of -drama- takes place in this chapter, but I hope you'll find it enjoyable anyways for other aspects of the story. I decided to cut the chapter where it was, otherwise I'd have had waaaay too long of a chapter with no end in sight, lol. Next chapter should be a little more action oriented though, I've already started working on it, and things SHOULD be a little quieter for me for now, so I shouldn't have so much of a delay in updating this time. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter! The usual disclaimers apply.

* * *

 

Nero was up pretty bright and early the morning after his official ‘meeting’ with Vergil. There had been no real reason to stay up and hang out, so he had gone to bed after Dante promised to take him out on business for the day. Now he was up and surprisingly refreshed, though he supposed it was because he’d somehow managed to stay asleep the entire night _and_ not have any nightmares.

The teen checked and gathered his weapons as quietly as he could, since Kyrie was still asleep, and slipped on his shoes. He was looking forward to getting out of the shop on a real job, and not just the boring small stuff he’d been helping with lately. Nero counted himself lucky that he didn’t have to wait too long for Dante to saunter down the stairs, fully loaded with his usual weaponry and looking for too excited.

“Ready to go, Kid?” the devil asked, earning an annoyed grunt from Nero. He really hated that nickname.  
  
“Yeah, just waiting on you, old timer. I thought maybe you’d fallen and broken your hip,” the teen shot back with a snort.

“Hey, if I break my hip, that means you gotta play nurse for me, so don’t tempt me. Now come on, let’s get outta here before you wake everyone up,” Dante teased back and led the way out of the shop.

Nero trudged after Dante, quietly closing the door to the shop behind them as they headed out. He really would have preferred walking to their job, but it was across town and Dante didn’t have a car, so he begrudgingly climbed onto the man’s motorcycle behind him. He always hated riding this thing with Dante, it made him feel like a dork. The teen urged Dante to hurry, masking his annoyance with excitement at getting to help with a job, and the pair took off without a second glance back at the shop. Vergil had been docile enough last night, and now he had his sword to calm him… the ladies would be fine without their help.

* * *

 

Vergil wasn’t sure how long he slept, but he could tell it was later than was normal for him by the noise levels outside the shop. Inside he didn’t hear much, which meant that either Dante was passed out cold, or he’d gone out with the boy like he’d claimed he would. Figuring it was the latter, the devil climbed out of the bed and stretched. He felt much better today, less wobbly and more in control. Vergil took a few test steps around the room, finding nothing concerning as far as his balance was concerned, and smirked a little. His eyes were still a bit sensitive, so he’d be keeping the lights off for now, but even they were substantially better than before.

The devil dressed quickly in the loose jeans and black t shirt he found at the foot of the bed, presumably left by Dante, and made his way out of the bedroom. Vergil paused at the top of the stairs, listening for anyone else awake. He didn’t hear much except for some quiet movements in the main part of the shop, so he headed down, curiosity and hunger getting the better of him. He spied the girl from yesterday, Kyrie, folding up sheets and blankets from the sofa bed. He didn’t see anyone else around, but the devil doubted they’d leave a defenseless human alone with him.

Vergil made his way down the last of the steps and into the main room, startling the girl a bit and earning a flustered greeting from her. He waved off her protests as he helped her close up the sofa bed and return it to its normal couch-state. A quick moment of polite conversation, mostly about how he was feeling that day and if he needed anything, earned Vergil the whereabouts of his brother -- out with Nero, Trish -- left on her own job, and Lady -- making a supply run for the shop, and the location of leftover breakfast -- in the microwave. Vergil thanked her and excused himself, feeling a bit hungry as he made his way into the kitchen to retrieve the promised food. Kyrie had seemed a bit nervous around him, but she’d still smiled and talked with him, so he supposed the day was off to a decent start.

The devil leaned against the counter of the darkened kitchen as he munched on the bacon left for him, running over things in his head. He wasn’t sure how long he planned on staying with his brother, eventually it was going to get weird. Vergil realized though that besides his twin, he really didn’t have anyone else to turn to; Trish was out of the question, Lady hated demons, and Nero… he didn’t even _know_ the boy, so he wasn’t about to bother him. Sure, Vergil had some money stored away, but it was going to be a hassle to retrieve it, along with all the personal things he would need, like IDs, paperwork, and so on. Dante had seemed willing to take care of him for the time being, but eventually the novelty would wear off and he was sure his twin would be ready to be rid of him.

Vergil was so lost in his thoughts that he barely registered someone else entering the kitchen. It wasn’t until a hand waved in front of his face that he realized Lady was standing there in front of him, eyeing him like he’d grown horns or something.

“Earth to Vergil. Are you there?” she huffed at him, snapping her fingers a few times to try and get his attention.

Vergil shook his head to clear it and stood up straight, finally taking in the huntress standing before him. Lady looked annoyed at him, and several feet behind her was Kyrie, looking a bit concerned.

“I’m sorry, did you say something?” he asked as he ran a hand through his hair. Not the smoothest of responses, and it earned him a roll of the eyes from Lady.

“Kyrie is going to the grocery store. Do you need anything? Toothbrush, hair gel, pompous jerk cream?” Lady asked with a snort.

Vergil would have scowled, but that would have just been giving in to her, so instead he ignored the barb and glanced over Lady’s shoulder to address the younger girl.

“Dante already got me a toothbrush. I’d love it though if you could sneak back some fruit… all of this pizza and grease after not eating for so long is upsetting my stomach,” he admitted, giving her his most disarming smile without seeming creepy. Vergil could be polite and personable when he wanted to, and so far Kyrie was the least insufferable person here. The girl gave him a nod and a smile in response and turned to hurry out of the kitchen, leaving just Lady and himself behind.

“Your turn to babysit me?” Vergil asked, crooking an eyebrow slightly at Lady. He was surprised they’d leave _just_ Kyrie here with him, but he supposed it had been because they had expected him to stay asleep for a while. He wasn’t stupid though, of course they’d want to keep an eye on him at all times, just in case he was plotting something.

“Looks like it. Too bad the pay is shit and the ‘baby’ is a jackass,” Lady shot back and moved away to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. She leaned against the fridge as she stared him down, looking like she was silently daring him to mess up.

“Jackass? Are you sure you’re not confusing me with the other one?” Vergil asked, shaking his head as he eyed her. Really, he’d barely interacted with Lady, but maybe she had a point, considering the trouble Vergil and her own father had caused. Still… he really didn’t enjoy hearing that about himself from _her_.

Vergil wasn’t going to admit it aloud to anyone, not even under threat of death, but Lady had been on his mind quite a bit in the demon realm. So many times of trying to focus his attention elsewhere during the torture, his thoughts had naturally strayed to the things freshest in his mind. The look on Dante’s face when Vergil cut him and fell into the demon realm was a big one, but it unfortunately didn’t bring much comfort. One thing he’d thought a lot about when trying to distract himself was Lady -- he didn’t know the huntress that well, but he spent a lot of time trying to recall her face when he needed a distraction. He would count the freckles he could remember from the miniscule amount of time he’d seen her, picture the strange but interesting eyes that held so much disgust for them. He could see now he didn’t remember it all perfectly, but hey, it was a nice, _less depressing_ distraction when he had nothing else to focus on.

“Do you really want to go there right now?” Lady asked, her eyes narrowing a bit. She looked ready to murder as she glared at him.

The devil smirked slightly and moved away from the counter and stood in front of her, bracing himself with one of his hands beside her head. He knew he was pissing her off, but he wasn’t going to actually _do_ anything, and it had been a long time since he’d had this much interaction with another person -- Dante didn’t count. Riling Lady up was a nice distraction from his troubles, and maybe he could glean some info from her if he was lucky.

“That depends on _where_ exactly we’re going,” Vergil replied smoothly, quirking his lips up just slightly into a smirk. If Dante or anyone else who knew him well had seen him acting like this, they’d probably think he’d been possessed or something.

“And here I was thinking you were just a frosty bastard. Instead, I find out you’re an annoying one too,” Lady hissed as she pressed the barrel of her gun into his ribs. “I don’t know what kind of sick shit you’re up to, but don’t think for one second I won’t blow a hole in you. Dante will get over it eventually. He did the last time he thought you croaked.”

Vergil was about to respond when a surprised gasp caught him off-guard. Lady’s gaze whipped towards the kitchen door, followed by his own. Vergil wanted to laugh out loud seeing Kyrie standing there, looking extremely flustered. The devil realized from her angle, she probably couldn’t see the gun, and thought she had walked in on something… private.

“I-I’m sorry… I f-forgot my list…” the girl squeaked and hurried over, snatching up the small paper on the counter before she practically ran back out of the shop looking mortified. Vergil would normally have been upset at the situation, but he really couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed at her. Besides, this just gave him something interesting to deal with later.

Lady snarled in frustration and shoved Vergil away, holstering her gun before she stormed out of the kitchen herself. Vergil decided to stop being a brat and bothering her, though he filed the encounter away in his mind. She’d been annoyed, obviously, but she hadn’t shot him, and he _really_ thought she would have.

_‘Interesting_.’

The devil grabbed himself a bottle of water and trotted out after Lady, intending to go locate a book or something to distract himself for a bit while she calmed down. He thought he was doing fairly well with himself, interacting like a mostly-normal person and not going on any power-trips or anything. Vergil was surprised to admit that he didn’t actually feel up to plotting anything, he was strangely… _comfortable_ with his current situation. A bit perplexed with some things, but comfortable nonetheless.

* * *

 

Nero had to admit, he was enjoying himself. There was a small horde of demons that had been causing problems outside of the town, and the pair were currently hacking and slashing their way through them with ease. Dante had suggested an unofficial contest to see who could defeat the most, and Nero was pretty sure he was winning at the moment.

“Hah, how’d you like that, old man?” Nero called out as he took out three demons with one swing of Red Queen. He was really enjoying himself, despite the seemingly never-ending crowd of monsters attacking them. Nero wasn’t too worried, Dante had said this was a pretty huge nest, so they had to be making a dent in it, right? The teen grinned to himself as he flung some blood and gore from his blade and turned to find Dante in the mass.

“Hey Kid, look out!” Nero heard the elder hunter shout. He whipped around toward the direction of Dante’s voice, only to come face to face with a sickle-like weapon slashing down on him. The teen barely managed to block it, but the force sent him sprawling backwards onto his back. Red Queen was knocked from his grip by the fall, landing just out of reach.

Nero narrowed his eyes as the devil moved to slash at him again. Red Queen was too far away to grab for, so he called forth the power inside of him… only for nothing to happen. Nero’s eyes widened and he froze in panic as the blade came down on him. It took a second for the teen to realize what happened as the devil above him exploded into a bloody mist, but by then Dante had appeared and hovered over him, scowling with a look Nero wasn’t used to seeing.

“You still had your gun, Kid -- use it next time!” the elder hunter scolded and snatched Nero up from the ground by the forearm.

“I...I forgot…” Nero spluttered lamely, feeling like a fool. Not only had he forgotten that he could no longer summon Yamato thanks to the sword being gone, but he’d panicked and completely forgotten that he could just shoot the damned thing with Blue Rose. Was he really so dependent on Yamato now? He didn’t have time to worry about it for long though, since there were still demons around. Dante tossed Red Queen at him and the pair got back to clearing out the demon nest, the air now tense and uncomfortable even as the numbers of the devils dwindled down.

Nero was still thinking about how close he’d come to getting himself killed by the time they were done with the horde an hour or so later. He couldn’t shake it, feeling like a complete idiot. What would have happened if he’d been injured, or what if Dante had gotten hurt because of him? He was jolted out of his thoughts by a heavy hand clamping down on his shoulder.

“Relax, Kid. It happens to the best of us,” Dante reassured him with a grin. Nero sighed and shook his head at the older man’s antics, knowing Dante was just trying to cheer him up.

“I tried to summon Yamato…” Nero admitted with a sigh. “I froze up when nothing happened. I completely forgot,” he continued. “I could’ve gotten us both killed.”

Dante shook his head and gave Nero’s shoulder a squeeze before heading off towards the bike, leaving Nero to follow.

“Hey, it’s your first day without the thing in forever. No need to get so hung up on it. Shit happens… just learn from it for next time. You used to fight demons just fine without it before, right? Just… get back to the basics. You shouldn’t be so dependent on one weapon anyways,” the elder hunter explained. Nero wanted to believe him, but it was still bothering him.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you pick something out from the armory when we get back? I’ve got _all kinds_ of cool shit in there,” Dante suggested with a grin as he climbed aboard the motorcycle.

“Eh… maybe,” Nero agreed with a half-hearted shrug as he climbed on behind Dante. He hated to admit it, but he doubted anything Dante had locked away was even going to come close to Yamato -- but he would give it a try anyways.

The ride back to the shop was a little less awkward since Nero was distracted, but he was still happy for it to end all the same. He’d been so lost in his thoughts about what had happened that he _almost_ forgot the whole reason he was without Yamato, and also why Dante had taken him out today: Vergil.

Nero entered the shop to find Trish on the couch channel surfing, and no one else anywhere to be seen, but voices were coming from the kitchen. He followed the sounds, his eyebrows raising slightly as he stood in the doorway and took in the scene before him. Lady was sitting on the far counter messing with her guns, more than likely keeping an eye on things more than tending to her weapons. Kyrie was tending to something on the stove, the one Nero was never even sure actually _worked_ , considering how little it was used, and Vergil was at the counter beside her, chopping some… vegetables? What the hell.

The teen noticed that Vergil had those sunglasses on again, probably because Lady and Kyrie couldn’t work as well in the dark as he could, but all in all everything seemed… normal. It wouldn’t have been so weird if it was anyone else, but Vergil… this really was a different picture than had been drawn for him about the guy, but then again, maybe he was trying to put in the effort for them both. Nero supposed the least he could do was try and relax and not act like a total brat, especially about Yamato. If Vergil of all people -- as limited as his social skills had been made out to be -- could try and behave himself and be sociable, then so could he.

Nero wasn’t sure if he liked Vergil being so friendly with Kyrie, but not because of jealousy -- it was more of a concern for her safety since he’d heard less than admirable things about his so-called ‘father’ when it came to using people. Kyrie seemed to be enjoying herself though, she didn’t even look nervous at all now, but she _was_ always better with people than he was. Kyrie finally seemed to notice his presence and turned to him, giving him a small smile.

Nero gave her a small, awkward smile back and excused himself to take a shower, mostly so he could have a chance to calm down and collect himself before having to deal with Vergil. Maybe he should have asked Dante if they could go patrol the town or something instead of coming back so early. It was too late now though, and he wasn’t going to completely chicken out. Just because Vergil was his long-lost father, had tried to basically open the demon realm on Earth, and was horrifically powerful, it didn’t mean that they couldn’t have a somewhat normal relationship, if that’s what they both wanted.

Nero really didn’t know _what_ he wanted from the man… but he’d take his time in figuring it out. For now he was just going to try and enjoy lunch with his friends and Vergil, and go from there.


End file.
